Alternate Reality
by DragonKnight19
Summary: Link travels to the dark land of Rehyul, which is disturbingly similar to Hyrule. He must collect the broken Shards of the Master Sword before he can face the mysterious Evil King, bring back the Angels of the Triforce, and save Rehyul. Please RR!
1. A New Quest

Alternate Reality—I—A New Quest

DragonKnight19

Link walked swiftly and silently down the castle corridor, following the magical summon. It had woken him from his deep slumber, and now here he was in full equipment, ready to start another adventure. He did not know where he was off to, just that the Triforce was calling him, therefore he was needed somewhere.

He brought with him the green tunic from his childhood, which he wore at all times, even though he now knew that he was not a Kokiri, a child of the forest, but actually a Hylian. He also had his magical bottomless knapsack, a gift from his childhood friend Saria the Kokiri. For his defense he carried the standard Hylian Shield used by all knights in the kingdom of Hyrule. And since the Master Sword was needed as the key component to keep Ganon locked in the Dark Realm, he wielded his Hero Sword, forged by the greatest Goron blacksmiths. He also had his Hookshot, Bow, arrows and some bombs. All of his equipment fit neatly into his knapsack, which somehow retained its size, no matter how much junk was stored in it.

As he turned the last corner Link saw Princess Zelda waiting for him outside the door to the Hall of the Gods, where the Triforce was kept. As a princess of Hylian descent, she too was perceptive to the magical call that was intended for Link, but felt by all with magic in their blood, like the Hylians. Since it was still the middle of the night, she was still in her nightgown and robe. She had obviously rushed down there to catch Link before he left.

At the sound of his approach, she turned to face him, and with an anxious, worried look on her face, asked simply, "You're leaving, aren't you?"

Link nodded and replied, "The Triforce is calling me. I'm needed somewhere. I have to go."

Zelda gave him a light kiss on the cheek. For a moment she turned away, blushing, but then regained her composure and said, "Remember to come back when to Hyrule when it's all over. Remember to come back to me." With that she turned and headed off back to her room.

As soon as the princess was out of sight, Link turned to face the door, and entered the Hall of the Gods. At the far end of the room, floating above the altar, was the mystical relic, the Triforce. Three golden triangles, each with its own magical aura, each containing the power of one of the three goddesses of creation: Din, the goddess of Power, Nayru, the goddess of Wisdom, and Farore, the goddess of Courage. The Triforce of Power glowed with a red aura, Wisdom with blue, and Courage with Green.

As Link walked towards the altar, the Triforce of Courage began to radiate more brightly, until the entire room was bathed in its gentle green glow. Suddenly, Link heard a voice in his head.

_Hello, Hero, _the voice said_. I am Farore, the Goddess of Courage. Thank you for coming. A land ruled by darkness cowers in fear. A people without hope cry out for a Hero. The land of Rehyul needs you to free it from the clutches of evil. Without your intervention, the Rehyulians are doomed to eternal despair. Only you can save them. Now go, Link and fulfill your destiny as the Hero of Time. May the power of the Triforce be always with the Hero. _

the voice said.

As the voice faded off, the green glow intensified until all Link could see was green. the last thing he remembered was Farore's voice in his head again, giving him one final instruction:

_Protect the one who finds you, Hero. Your destiny lies in her._

Then all reality faded away.

When Link awoke all he could see was still green. After a few seconds he realized he was in a deep, verdant forest. He sat up and looked around, and was surprised to see a beautiful girl standing a few feet away.

"Oh, good, you're awake," she said. She was very pretty, and looked to be only a little older than Link, probably in her early twenties. "My name is Trinity," she told him. "What's yours?"

Link got up and brushed himself off. "That's a very pretty name, Trinity. My name is Link."

"Link?" she repeated. For a moment she looked worried, but after looking into Link's eyes for a moment, her expression softened. "C'mon, Link," she said, "I'll lead you someplace safe." She turned and started walking off into the forest, so Link followed her. Suddenly remembering Farore's last warning, Link put his hand on the hilt of his sword, ready to draw it out at the first sign of danger.

They walked in silence for about ten minutes, when suddenly the trees ended, and there, standing about a hundred yards from the edge of the forest, was what appeared to be an abandoned house. The last few rays of the setting sun shined off of Trinity's long blond hair as she jogged across the clearing to the abandoned house with Link not far behind. She led Link to the back of the house, where she walked up to a boarded up door and knocked on it in a pattern. Sure enough, the door opened up, revealing a young girl of about twelve who let them in.

Once inside, Trinity introduced Link to all the occupants of the house. It was actually a sanctuary for travelers and local villagers, which Trinity ran all by herself. If it was discovered, she could be imprisoned, or worse... Most of the occupants were human, local villagers who had been evicted from their homes or run out of town by the King's Guard. There was also a lone fairy, two Zora travelers, a Goron merchant, and even an old man who looked like the old sages Link and encountered on his journeys. Usually they offered him some helpful hint or advice for his quest, but when Link approached this old man, he just ignored Link.

A few hours later, Link and Trinity were talking together, Link asking about Rehyul, Trinity asking about Link. "So, where are you from, Link?" she asked.

"I'm from the land of Hyrule," Link replied. "Just like Rehyul, and other lands such as Termina, Holodrum and Labrynna, Hyrule is just one of many different Realms that are separate lands, but magically linked. Only those with magic in their blood, like my people, the Hylians, can traverse the different Realms. Non-magic folk are stuck in whatever Realm they are born into. the Three Goddesses have chosen me as the Hero of Time, sending me on epic journeys to all the different Realms to combat some evil that has arisen there."

"Really?" Trinity asked, her face brightening. "You're here to save us? I knew it! From the first time I saw you in the woods, I knew there was something special about you. Let me know if there is anything I can do to help you."

"Actually, there is," Link told her. "I'd link to learn more about Rehyul, and its problem; anything you can tell me will help."

Trinity started, "Well, first of all-" but was interrupted suddenly. A young boy barged in and exclaimed, "Ms. Trinity, they need you in the back room."

Trinity got up and told Link, "I'm sorry. I'll be right back." She walked off with the boy to see what was wrong. _Well_, Link thought to himself, _You have to admire her courage. She's brave, not to mention caring, to take care of all these people._

All of a sudden, an explosion rocked the house. Link pulled out his sword and ran towards the front of the house. He immediately ran into a group of Moblins, ugly pig-faced warrior-creatures, surrounding a great, terrible creature. It resembled a mix between a large crab and a wolf with a whole lot of ugly mixed in, and it looked like it was searching for something. Or someone. Link immediately threw himself into the fray, realizing that he was the only hope the refugees had.

Link slashed his way through the Moblins, trying to get at the large creature that was obviously their leader, but there were too many of them. While Link fought through wave after wave of Moblins, the creature scuttled off down the hall, seeking its prey. Link finally finished off all the Moblins and rushed into the next room.

In the next room there were more Moblins, who were busy trying to round up a couple of refugees. Link killed the pig-faced warriors, then saw one over in the corner, getting ready to squash a fairy. The Moblin raised its club over its head, and as it did, Link cut off its arms at the elbow. He then mercifully put the creature out of its misery. "Thank you!" squeaked the fairy, and Link mumbled a quick "Don't mention it" before running down the hall.

Link found pretty much the same scene in each room he came to, but never managed to find the creature. Since the Moblins kept pouring in, Link led the refugees upstairs, to what was once the master bedroom. Once everyone was inside, Link barricaded the door and stood guard, ready for the invaders to try to force their way in. At first there was nothing but silence, but then Link heard a scuttling, shuffling sound that announced the arrival of the creature. Link gripped his sword tightly. "Stand back!" he ordered the refugees.

The creature began throwing itself against the door trying to break it down. But the door was made of an incredibly durable wood, and did not break. Then the creature decided to try a different approach. It reached its tentacles under the door, trying to grab something, or to try to rip the doors off their hinges. Before it could achieve either goal, Link cut the tentacles right off, and the creature withdrew them, howling in pain. Link heard it storm off, and then all was quiet.

After ten minutes of silence, Link sheathed his sword and announced, "I think they're gone." A collective sigh went up from all the refugees. "everybody's here, right?" Link asked. Everybody looked around, checking. "The old man isn't here," one of the Zoras said. "I know," Link replied. In the first moments of the invasion, Link had seen the old man with the Moblins. He had obviously been a spy. "Is that it? Is everybody else here?"

"I don't see Ms. Trinity," said the twelve-year old girl who had let Link into the house.

"Great," Link muttered. "Stay here everybody. I'm going to go look for her." he opened the door slowly, peering out to make sure there was not an ambush waiting for him. When he was satisfied that it was all clear, he left the room and started his search. He looked all over the house for Trinity, calling her name. He checked every single room, but she was not in the house. Link ran outside into the darkness. "TRINITY!" he yelled, but it was no use. The creature and few remaining Moblins had disappeared into the night. And they had taken Trinity with them.


	2. The Angel's Ocarina

Alternate Reality—II—The Angel's Ocarina

DragonKnight19

After helping Link repair the damage that was done in the raid, the refugees left him alone, since it was obvious that he was angry with himself for letting the Moblins take Trinity. He sat alone in the master bedroom, trying to formulate a plan for her rescue, when the fairy he had saved flew in and landed on the table in front of him. "Hi!" she said. "Thanks for rescuing me."

"You're welcome, Link muttered. Since Link didn't seem to want to talk much, the fairy continued.

"My name is Meego. What's yours?"

Link looked up at the fairy and smiled weakly. "Link," he told her. Just like with Trinity, he noticed on the fairy's uneasiness when she heard Link's name, but it was only there for a moment. "Nice to meetcha, Link!" Meego said.

"Meego, why are you all alone?" Link asked. "Don't fairies usually stick together in groups, or follow a Kokiri partner?"

Meego bowed her head and replied, "Yeah, well, the other fairies in my clan didn't like me. I'm not very brave, you see. They called me Meego the Meek. They kicked me out of the clan. Now I don't have any friends." She sniffed and wiped away a lone tear.

Suddenly Link got an idea. "How'd you like to help me, Meego?" he asked. "I'm new here, and I could use a guide who knows her way around Rehyul. In return, I'll be your friend and protect you. And I'll help you work on being more brave, too."

"Really?" the fairy asked. "You'd do that for me? Great! I'll help you any way I can!" She flew over and gave Link a tiny little hug.

"Alright," Link said, "Let's look around here first to see if there's anything we could use on our journey. Then we'll hit the road, and go save Trinity."

They searched the house for supplies, and in the basement they found some food, a glass bottle that would come in handy for many different uses, and then Link discovered a treasure chest behind a fake wall. Inside the chest was a strange flute.

"That's the Angel's Ocarina!" Meego gasped. "Legend says that it belonged to a great angel a long time ago, before the Darkness. A race of angels protected this land and guarded the Triforce.

"But then the Darkness came, and the angels disappeared one by one. Some say that the Evil King was searching for the one angel, their leader, who possessed the Ocarina. But some say that she forsook her wings and took on the guise of a human to escape capture. She would then wait for the arrival of a Hero who would use the Ocarina to overthrow the Evil King, return peace to the land, and bring back the angels. That's how the legend goes."

Link reached into the chest and picked up the Angel's Ocarina. As his hand touched it, he had a vision of a beautiful angel who looked a little like Trinity, but different, more _heavenly_. The angel was holding the Angel's Ocarina, and was staring straight into Link's eyes.

"Greetings, Hero," the angel said. "The Ocarina you are holding is the Angel's Ocarina, a sacred object belonging to my people, the Angels of the Triforce. It was our sworn duty to guard the Triforce of this Realm, and to protect the people of Rehyul. But Dark times have befallen us, and an evil force beyond our strength to stop has taken over.

"If you are receiving my message, it is because an ill fate has befallen me or the sworn protector of the Ocarina. I now entrust the Ocarina to you, Hero. Use it in your quest to cleanse this land of the Darkness that has covered it. May the power of the Triforce be always with you." The vision faded, and Link found himself back in the basement with Meego.

"Let's go, Link," Meego said, "There's no point sticking around here all day!"

Link sighed. "You're right. Can you take me to the Temple of Time?"

"The Temple of Time?" Meego repeated. "Okay, but I think you're going to be disappointed."

The Temple of Time was an hour away, so they had a while to talk. Link used this time to learn as much as he could about Rehyul. Meego started off by describing the geography. "Rehyul has lotsa different places," she told Link. "There's fields, mountains, an ocean, a desert, forests, and a swamp. Each one has some sort of wired ruins in it. Then there's the village of Kikorika, not far from the Temple of Time. Humans like you live in the village, but they stay in their houses, cuz they're afraid of getting in trouble with the King's Soldiers."

Link looked up and asked, "People like me? You mean they can use magic?"

Meego shook her head and replied, "Not exactly like you. They can't do magic. There used to be human who could do magic, but they disappeared about the same time as the angels. Some say that the Evil King captured 'em and killed 'em. I guess he wanted to be the only one who could do magic."

"Tell me about the Evil King," Link requested.

"Meego glanced around, obviously worried about being spied upon. "We aren't supposed to talk about him," she said nervously. "His spies might be anywhere, listening."

Link continued to press her. "C'mon, Meego," he said. "I need to know. I'm your friend, right? If any spies come out, I'll take care of them."

The fairy smiled and agreed. "Okay, Link, just because you're my friend. About twenty, twenty-five years ago, the land was beautiful and peaceful, and everybody lived in harmony. The angels watched over the land, and kept all evil out. But one day, Darkness filled the land. A shadow crept into the lives of every person, and the angels started disappearing. Evil creatures began coming out of the Temple of Time, which was destroyed by the creatures so more of them could just appear out of nowhere. It was thought that the evil came from the Sacred Realm, where the Triforce was. So the Rehlians, the magic folk like you, went to the Sacred Realm to stop it, since there were barely any angels left. Only a few of them came back.

"They told a tale of a dark, evil castle standing where the Light Temple, the resting place of the Triforce, used to stand. It was ruled by an evil wizard who had broken the protective spells and gained control of all three golden triangles of the Triforce. He told them that he was the new ruler of Rehyul, and that all who stood in his way would die.

"His power slowly spread, until he controlled all of Rehyul. The last of the Rehylians and angels disappeared twenty years ago, the year I was born. Three years later, a seventeen-year-old Rehlian found the Master Sword among the ruins of the Temple of Time. He then went to the

Dark Realm to challenge the Evil King. He was beaten, and the Evil King brainwashed and corrupted him, and now he's the Evil King's right hand man.

"The Evil King had the Master Sword destroyed so that only he and his minions could traverse between Rehyul and the Dark Realm. The Shards of the Master Sword were scattered, and have never been seen since."

_A seventeen-year-old Rehlian, a magic user who wielded the Master Sword,_ Link thought. He himself was seventeen. It had to be a coincidence, but just to be sure… "Meego," Link asked, "What is that Rehlian's name, the one who challenged the Evil King and now is his right hand man?"

Meego looked right at Link and said, "His name is…"

"…Link."


	3. Return to the Forest

Alternate Reality—III—Return to the Forest

DragonKnight19

They continued on in silence after that. _How could he have the same name as me? _Link wondered. _What are the implications of that? If I'm to succeed, I'm eventually going to have to confront him. He's twice my age; will I still be as successful as I always am? What if he beats me? He'll either kill me, or brainwash and corrupt me just like him. NO! I MUST succeed! I'm the Hero of Time! I've faced shadow versions of myself before; this will be no different. Or will it? _Link continued to brood on the coincidence that the second-toughest enemy he would have to face on this quest was an older version of himself.

A little while later they arrived at a pile of rubble that Meego identified as the Temple of Time. Link walked over to get a closer look. All the walls and pillars had been knocked down and the altar destroyed. The only clear place was the Pedestal of Time, where the Master Sword used to reside. _So that must be how you get to the Evil Castle in the Evil Realm, _Link thought. Just like in Hyrule. _Well that's my mission, then: to gather the Shards of the Master Sword and use them to get into the Evil Realm._

On his journeys Link always had to collect something that was scattered all over the Realm: shattered fragments of the Triforce, magic crystals, instruments of the Sirens, Sage Medallions, Essences of Time or Nature, or Remains masks. Now, he would have to gather the Shards of the Master Sword and reforge it somehow. The things he gathered were always in temples or dungeons of some sort; Link decided to check out the ruins Meego had mentioned earlier.

Just as they were leaving, Link heard a rushing sound, like a tornado was right behind them. Link whirled around and saw a dark cloaked figure standing on the Pedestal of Time. "So, a Hero has emerged," the dark, sinister man said. "My master will be pleased. He hasn't had a challenge for quite some time. Seventeen years, to be exact." He then laughed, but it was an evil laugh.

"Who are you?" Link demanded. Meego was hiding in his tunic, petrified with fear.

"You'll know my name soon enough," the cloaked man said mysteriously. "Try to survive my minions at least for a little while. I wouldn't want to miss the pleasure of killing you myself." Link rushed at him, Hero Sword drawn, but the mysterious person laughed again and disappeared in a flash of black light.

When Link's eyes readjusted, the man was gone. "It's okay, Meego, he's gone," Link told the terrified fairy trembling inside his tunic. Meego flew out and sat on Link's shoulder.

"Who was that?" she asked. Link told her that he didn't get the guy's name. "Well, whoever he was, he was really, really evil," Meego said.

Link decided to go to the nearby Kikorika Village. When he got there, he saw that Meego wasn't kidding; everybody there were too paranoid to leave their houses. He didn't see anybody walking around outside; everybody stayed indoors. He walked up to the first house and knocked on the door. "Wh-who's there?" asked a frightened voice from within.

"A couple of travelers," Link replied. "I'm new to this land, and I'm looking for a map." The door slowly opened, revealing a wide-eyed old man. He looked around to make sure it wasn't a trap, then invited Link in, quickly slamming the door shut behind him.

The old man introduced himself as Guilde, the mayor of Kikorika Village. He then asked Link for his name.

"My name is Link," Link said. The old man's eyes went wide and he started to back away from Link, obviously thinking he was the Evil Link. "I've heard about the Evil King's right hand man, and I realize we share the same name. But that doesn't mean that I am him. I'm from the land of Hyrule, and I've come to save you from the Evil King's tyranny." When the old man heard this, he gave Link a weird, skeptical look.

"You're actually going to challenge the Evil King?" Mayor Guilde asked. "Then I cannot help you. If it was found out that I helped you, I could be killed. I'm sorry, I just can't."

"Don't you want me to succeed?" Link asked. "Don't you want me to save your land?"

The old man stood up and said, "Of course I do! But I can't stick my neck out on the line, because when you fail, I'll be next."

Link suddenly got an idea, and with a sly look on his face, asked, "Well, if you won't give me a map, at least answer my question: If I were a map, one whose owner didn't want to give me to a traveler, where would I, the map, hide in this house?"

The mayor caught on to Link's meaning and with an equally sly look, replied, "Well, you, as the map, probably would not hide on the back of the closet door." Link walked over to the closet and opened it, and sure enough, a map of Rehyul was tacked up on the back of the door.

Link pulled it down and stuck it in his knapsack. "I'm really sorry," he started, "but I need this map more then you do. I think I'll just 'steal' it from you."

"No!" Mayor Guilde cried sarcastically. "Put it back! Thief!" He smiled. "Good luck, Link," he whispered as Link walked out the door.

After leaving the mayor's residence, Link proceeded to the local shop. After convincing the shopkeeper that he wasn't one of the Evil King's cohorts, Link bought another glass bottle, and had the shopkeeper fill it with a blue potion, which would refill Link's stamina and magical energy in one gulp. Link pulled some rupees out of his wallet, and gave the shopkeeper fifty rupees for the bottle, one hundred for the blue potion, and an extra one hundred since the shopkeeper didn't seem to get very many customers. Link figured that the shopkeeper needed the rupees more than he did, not to mention that he would probably refill his wallet from all the monsters he was going to slay on his quest. Link told the shopkeeper to keep going, better times were coming, and the shopkeeper smiled feebly, and replied that he hoped so.

After leaving the shop, Link walked over to a bench in the center of the village, sat down, and pulled out the mayor's map. He noticed that Rehyul looked a little like Hyrule, only with everything in different places, since they were very different Realms. He saw that the forest was closest to Kikorika Village, se he decided to head there first.

The map simply called it Kokiri Forest, named after the little elf-like people who lived there. Link remembered from his childhood, when he lived among the Kokiri (Thus the source of his green tunic), that the Kokiri were perpetual children, never growing up. They all had their own fairy partner, coincidentally like Link did now, who remained with the Kokiri at all times. The Kokiri Link remembered were always fun loving and easygoing. Hopefully the Kokiri could give him directions to the ruins.

The entrance to the forest was guarded by two Moblins. When Link walked up, one of them seemed to recognize him. "Hey, you da guy wit da sword at dat house we raided," the pig warrior said. "You killed alotta Moblinses. I'm gonna get you for dat." The two Moblins ran towards Link, the one who recognized him wielding a spear, the other one brandishing a rusty sword. Link sighed and pulled out his own sword. Moblins were hardly a challenge for a veteran warrior like himself. He sidestepped the one with the spear and chopped off its head as it ran past him. Link the disarmed the other one, literally, as he sliced off both of the Moblin's arms. He then stabbed the creature in the gut. The Moblin fell to the ground, and Link wiped his sword off in the grass.

"Wow, that was great, Link!" Meego exclaimed. Unlike Link's last fairy partners, Tatl and Navi, Meego was too timid to help Link in battle by finding the enemy's weakness. She just hovered behind Link as he dispatched the two Moblins.

"You know, Meego," Link began, "usually fairy partners help out by flying in close and finding a monsters weak spot."

"I can't do that!" the fairy gasped. "What if the monster tried to eat me? I'd be too scared!"

"You don't have to worry about that," Link told her. "The monster would be totally focused on me, since I'm the larger threat. I've never heard of a fairy being attacked while aiding their human partner. C'mon, I'll show you how to do it."

They had been walking down the shady path through the forest while they were having this conversation, and up ahead Link spotted some Deku Babas. These were the weaker variety, which just stood up straight and swayed a little. "Why don't you try it on these guys?" Link suggested. "They can't hurt you as long as you don't touch them."

Meego still looked a little worried, but said, "Okay, I'll try." She flew over to one of the Deku Babas and used her magic to find its weak spot. It seemed to her that the whole thing was pretty much just one big weak spot, but then she noticed that its stem was very thin and brittle. "Try chopping it off at the stem!" she suggested.

"Very good," Link said, having fought these creatures before. "You did it! You were exactly right; if you chop it off at the stem, like this—" He swung his sword low and it sliced right through the weak stem, causing the enormous head to fall over, hit the ground, and disappear, leaving behind the stem, which had hardened into a Deku Stick—"you get a simple Deku Stick, which can be used as a torch, or as a weak weapon." Link picked up the Stick and put it in his knapsack.

Meego flew over and started zooming around frantically, obviously pleased with a job well done. "Did you see that?" she asked. "I did it! And I was only a little bit scared!"

Link smiled at her and said, "Yeah, you did a good job." Suddenly Link saw a tree house through the trees. "Look, we're almost to the Kokiri village. C'mon!" He started running but slowed and then stopped when he got to the clearing. Unlike the Kikorika Village, the Kokiri were all sitting outside, but it was their expressions that made Link stop dead in his tracks. All the Kokiri he had known back in Hyrule were happy-go-lucky children. But these Kokiri were sad and forlorn. Instead of flying around happily, their fairy partners just sat on their shoulders, equally forlorn. It was as if a blanket of melancholia was spread over the entire village.

Link was greatly disturbed by their sadness and took it upon himself to cure them of it. He walked up to one of the Kokiri and asked her what was wrong. She just looked up at him sadly, not saying anything, then resumed looking off into space. Then Link got an idea. He walked to the center of the clearing and pulled out the Angel's Ocarina. He put it to his lips and began to play.

The tune he chose, the one that Link felt was appropriate for this situation, was Saria's Song. Saria, Link's Kokiri childhood friend, had taught him the song when he left the forest to go on his first big adventure, to keep Ganondorf from acquiring the three Spiritual Stones and gaining access to the Sacred Realm.

He started off quietly, then slowly increased the volume of his playing, creating a nice effect. One by one, the Kokiri looked up at him, as if waking from a dream. They got in a circle around him and just stood there, lost in the music. More Kokiri started appearing out of the tree houses, and soon the entire village was gathered around Link, listening to him play. When he was finished, one of the Kokiri walked up to Link and introduced himself.

"I am Niro, the leader of the Kokiri. Who are you, who is so gifted in music? And why do you dress in the manner of the Kokiri when you are obviously one of the Big Folk?"

Link introduced himself and Meego and explained to the Kokiri how had grown up among the Hylian Kokiri.

"You play the ocarina very well," Niro said. "Your tune has brought the joy of the forest back into our lives. For that you have my thanks. If there is any way we can help you, just ask." Link told him about his quest to collect the Shards of the Master Sword and challenge the Evil King. He asked Niro for directions to the Forest Ruins. Niro gave him directions, and gave Link some Pegasus Seeds to aid him on his quest. When eaten, Pegasus Seeds make the user much quicker for a short time. "Farewell, Link," Niro said, "and good luck."

Link followed Niro's directions to the Forest Ruins and encountered many foes along the way. Evil Deku Scrubs ran rampant through the trees, and Moblins were out searching for him. Finally Link arrived at the large clearing Niro had told him about. All Link could see was a small platform with the symbol of a tree carved on it, and a group of three trees, all intertwined together. Niro had told Link that to get into the Ruins, Link had to play a certain song. He then played a beautiful song for Link, which sounded like a mix between Saria's Song and the Minuet of Forest. Link stood on the platform, and played Niro's Quartet. As soon as he finished, he heard a rumbling sound, and saw the three trees begin to unwind themselves from one another, until the three trees stood free, completely untwisted, revealing a deep, dark hole in the ground in the center of the three trees. Link walked over to the hole and saw steps leading down. He took those steps and descended into the Forest Ruins.


	4. The First Piece

Alternate Reality—IV—The First Piece

DragonKnight19

Despite its name, the Forest Ruins was largely intact. Link had expected crumbling walls and collapsed ceilings, but the Forest Ruins did not live up to his expectations. _I guess they must be called "Ruins" simply because they're really old, _Link thought to himself.

At the bottom of the stairs leading into the Forest Ruins was some sort of entrance hall. The walls and ceiling were covered in the roots of the three trees at the entrance, and there was a hole in the center of the ceiling. Since small alcoves like the one in the ceiling usually held treasure chests, Link looked around for some sort of switch to make it fall. Not seeing any, he walked over to one of the walls.

The first thing he noticed, besides the fact that it was covered in roots, was the three large Skulltula spiders clinging to it. Link pulled out his bow and shot down the Skulltulas from afar. He then killed three more on the opposite wall. When he had finished off the last Skulltula, a platform materialized under the hole in the ceiling.

Link climbed up the roots on the wall, then proceeded across the ceiling, using the roots there as monkey bars, until he reached the platform. He looked up into the dark hole, and saw a Hookshot target, a special carving on the wall that signified a place where his Hookshot would snag. He pulled it out of his knapsack and shot it at the spot, and as the Hookshot retracted, Link was pulled upward.

Up in the hole, there was a small ledge that Link landed on. Sure enough, there was a small treasure chest, which had a small key in it. Link jumped back down into the entrance hall below and used the key on the locked door. Link opened it and moved one room deeper into the Forest Ruins.

The next room was just a walkway leading to the next room. In the room after that, Link had to defeat two Stalfos before he could proceed. After that, Link found himself in the main hall of the Forest Ruins. The room was two stories, the one Link was on, and the basement. At the center was a large statue of a tree, life-size and remarkably detailed. It was as if the largest tree in the forest had been petrified and replanted in the Ruins. At the base of the stone trunk was a heavy iron gate that was sealed shut. On the arch surrounding the gate were seven crevices which obviously held something, something which was no longer there. Link also noticed that there were seven more doors in that great hall, plus the one he entered the room from made eight, four on each level.

"This'll be easy," Link said to nobody in particular. Obviously each door had some sort of treasure behind it, which when all gathered together, would open the gate. To a veteran dungeon explorer like Link, it was too easy. He proceeded to the first door and went in.

In the first room Link found a maze with silver rupees scattered all around it. He would not be able to proceed until he had gathered them all. After about fifteen minutes of searching the large maze, he finally found them all and made his way to the door on the other side. In the next room Link easily picked off a few Keeses, large bats that inhabit temples and dungeons, while Meego practiced her enemy-targeting magic on them. The more she did it, the less afraid she became. After swatting all the Keeses, Link received a small key from the treasure chest that materialized in the center of the room and used it to get into the next room.

In this room Link found only three treasure chests: the first had twenty arrows in it, the second had a map of the Ruins, and the third held a glowing red orb. Link decided that the orb must be the thing that goes in the arch around the gate. He turned around and went back to the main hall and walked over to the gate in the base of the life-size tree statue. Sure enough, upon further inspection, Link discovered a faint "R" inscribed in the first crevice."'R' is for Red," Link muttered under his breath as he placed the red orb in its place. As soon as the orb left his hand, it began to glow. Link looked at Meego, smiled and said, "One down, six to go."

Behind the second door, Link found a giant puzzle. There were ten large blocks with a picture painted on each one. Nine of them looked similar, and one didn't match t all. Link looked up and saw a magical timer floating above the puzzle, already counting down the seconds. Link had only two minutes to push and pull the blocks into place. He managed to do it, wit only four seconds to spare. When the puzzle was complete, the picture formed was of the blueprints of a room. The room on the blueprints seemed to have six rows of shelves, and on one shelf, there was a large red X, with an arrow pointing to a smaller picture in the corner of the blueprints. The smaller picture showed the shelf from the front, and another X marked the place on the shelf where Link assumed something important must lay.

After memorizing the Blueprints, Link continued to the next room. In here, three large Deku Scrubs guarded the exit. But these three Deku Scrubs looked familiar. Suddenly Link remembered; they looked just like the three Deku Scrubs guarding the entrance to Ghoma's lair in the Deku Tree back in Hyrule. Link had to defeat them in a certain order before they let him pass and confront Ghoma. At the sound of Link's approach the three Deku Scrubs turned to face him and started shooting seeds at him. He put up his shield to block the seeds, then angled it so the seeds bounced off and struck the middle Deku Scrub. It immediately stopped shooting at him and started chirping. Link then repeated the process for the third, and then the first Deku Scrub. When all three were defeated, the second and third dove back into their Deku Flowers, leaving the first one to address Link.

"How could this happen?" wailed the Deku Scrub. "How did you know the order to beat us? who told you our secret?"

Link smiled and said, "Let's just say it was deja vu." The Deku Scrub scowled at Link.

"Well, I don't know who this Day Javoo guy is, but tell him the next time he messes with Deku Scrubs, he's gonna regret it! Ooh, I'm so mad, I'm going to give you a hint for defeating the master of these Ruins. Remember that wood burns easily!" With that said, the Deku Scrub dove back into his Deku Flower and was gone.

"What a bunch of scrubs," Link said as he entered the next room.

In the next room, Link found what appeared to be a library. Suddenly remembering the blueprints on the puzzle two rooms back, he walked over to the bookcase marked on the blueprints. There must have been a hundred books on each shelf, but Link remembered the smaller insert, and grabbed the book that had been marked on the picture. Instead of being a book, it was really a switch, and when Link pulled it, a treasure chest fell from the ceiling. Inside were some bombs. Behind the treasure chest, Link noticed a large crack in the wall. He placed one of the bombs by it, then ducked behind one of the bookcases as the bomb exploded.

On the other side of the blasted wall was another room with three chest in it. The first contained twenty rupees, the second had the Ruin's Compass, and the third held an orange orb. Back in the main hall, Link placed the orange orb in the second crevice, right on top of the "O" carved there. The orange orb began to glow just like the red.

"Let's see what's behind door number three," Link said as he waked over to the third door. The first room behind the third door was just one enormously long room, with a small walkway over a large gaping pit. Link had made it halfway across the pit when the walkway began collapsing at the far end. He turned and ran back to the entrance, barely making it in time. "How are we supposed to make it across if the walkway collapses before we can reach the far end?" he asked. He went back through the door and reentered the room to find the walkway back the way it was, waiting for him to try again. This time he ran across, and almost made it. But again, he failed to make it across.

Suddenly Meego piped up. "Hey Link, what about those Pegasus Seeds the Kokiri gave you?" she suggested.

"Great idea, Meego!" Link exclaimed. He went back through the door again and reentered, popped a Pegasus Seed in his mouth, and dashed across the gap. The walkway began collapsing just as he reached the far end. In the next room was the now-familiar three chests. The first provided Link with more bombs, the second rewarded him with fifty rupees, and the third yielded a yellow orb. Link dashed back across the gap, placed the yellow orb in the third crevice with a "Y" in it, and proceeded to the fourth door.

As soon as he was through the fourth door, it slammed shut behind him and steel bars fell into place, preventing any escape. At the far end of the room, a figure sat crouched with his back to Link. He stood up and faced Link. The person was wearing a mask that covered his whole face, and had machetes instead of hands. Without warning, he rushed at Link, machetes glinting in the torchlight.

_So, it'll be a good old fashioned simple swordfight,_ Link thought to himself. He pulled out the Hero Sword and rushed towards his oncoming adversary. The Machete Man was surprised by this fierce of a response from Link, and stopped dead in his tracks. Link took this hesitation to his advantage and got a good blow on the Machete Man, taking a large chunk out of his shoulder.

As Link and the Machete Man battled, Meego hovered around the Machete Man, trying to find his weakness. Suddenly it came to her. " Link!" she shouted. "If you cut off his machetes, he won't be able to attack or block! But you can't cut them off without magic!"

"Okay, Meego, thanks!" Link told her as he blocked the Machete Man's swords with his shield. Link focused his magic into his sword, until the blade was aflame with magical fire. Link brought the sword up over his head, and seeing an opening, the Machete Man swung his machetes at Link's stomach, intending to slice right through his abdomen. But as the machetes flashed towards Link, he brought his sword down hard, right where the Machete Man's wrists should have been, had he had hands. The flaming sword sliced right through easily, and the machetes fell to the ground. The Machete Man just stood there staring dumbfoundedly at the stumps where his machetes used to be. Link wasted no time as he jabbed his flaming Hero Sword through the Machete Man's chest, and the Machete Man disappeared in a puff of magical smoke.

In the room beyond, Link's victory was rewarded with a Magic Jar to replenish his magic energy, a green orb, and the Longshot. It was just like his Hookshot, only longer. Link soon discovered that it was exactly twice as long as his old Hookshot. Behind the fifth door was another extremely long gap, but this time there was no walkway. Meego flew across the gap and informed Link that in the gloom at the far end was a Hookshot Circle. It was too far for his old Hookshot, but his new Longshot made it easily. He shot it across, and as it retracted, Link was pulled across the pit. The three treasure chests at the far end contained bombs, arrows and a blue orb, which upon returning to the main hall, Link placed in the crevice marked "B."

In the sixth room there were three Stalfos who Link had to defeat in rapid succession, lest they would revive and he would have to defeat them all over again. He managed to defeat all three pretty quickly and hurried to the next room. Here there were flaming Keeses who had lit themselves on fire in the torches hanging on the walls, doing suicidal kamikaze dives at Link, hoping to catch him on fire as well. There were also two large Deku Babas and a large Skulltula suspended from the ceiling. Link took out the burning Keeses and Skulltula with his bow, and easily defeated the two Deku Babas with his fancy swordplay. Link grabbed the arrows, Deku Nuts, and indigo orb from the following room and hurried back to the main hall. He placed the indigo orb in its correct place, the crevice marked with an "I," and entered the seventh and final door.

In the seventh room Link found a series of paintings on the walls, at least a dozen or more in total. His map and compass told him that there was a key in the room, and also a switch he had to flip before he could proceed. Meego noticed that they were oil paintings and suggested shooting each one with a Fire Arrow.

"Good idea, Meego," Link said. He pulled out his Bow and an arrow, used his magic to light it on fire, and shot it at one of the paintings. It disappeared in a blaze of fire, and Link was rewarded with having to face a Floor Master, a large hand that could pull him back to the entrance of the Ruins if it caught him. He fought it off easily, and shot down the next painting. This time he received a key from a treasure chest that materialized in front of him. He then shot down nine more paintings, each one followed by a Floor Master. Finally, only one painting was left, and Link shot it down, revealing an Eye Switch behind it. He shot the Eye Switch, and it closed, making the door to the next room open. There was nothing to do in the next room but use his key to get into the room with the three treasure chests. The first held fifty rupees, the second yielded the Master's Key, and the third held a violet orb. He went back to the large room with the tree statue and placed the violet orb in the "V" crevice. It started glowing like the others, and the iron gate opened, revealing the door to the Master's Lair. Link used the Master's Key and walked in.

As the door slammed shut behind him, Link found himself at the bottom of a large shaft that went up inside the trunk of the tree statue. He looked up, and way up at the top he saw a Hookshot Circle. He pulled out his Longshot and aimed it up. "Going up," Link said, and he was pulled upward.

As he neared the top, he found himself in a large, hollowed out room where the inner branches of the tree would have been, had it been real. The floor closed up behind him, sealing off the shaft he had come from. Link and Meego were trapped in the large room, in complete darkness.

Suddenly Link heard the rustling of leaves and an evil, sinister laugh. He pulled out one of his Deku Sticks and used his magic to light it for a torch. The light given off by the torch revealed the source of the two sounds. A strange creature, half warrior and half plant, stood at the opposite side of the room. It was the Treegore, the master of the Forest Ruins.

Without warning, the Treegore lunged at Link, trying to crush him beneath its trunk and roots. Link nimbly dodged out of the way, and hacked at it with his sword. all he managed to do was dent the trunk. "I hope I don't have to defeat this guy lumberjack style," Link muttered.

Meego flew up towards the Treegore, looking for a weakness. Link obviously needed her help, since his sword didn't seem to be doing much good. _What was it the Deku Scrub had said? _she thought. _Remember that wood burns easily._ "That's it," she said to herself. As she watched the battle, the Treegore seemed to shy away a little bit whenever Link's torch got too near. "Link!" she yelled. "Remember that wood burns easily!"

Link gave her a thumbs up and said, "Thanks Meego!" He swung his torch at the Treegore, but it was surprisingly fast for a tree. It easily dodged out of the way and whipped a vine at Link, trying to grab him.

Link planted the torch in a crack in the ground and pulled out his Bow. He shot a Fire Arrow at the Treegore, but it dodged that, too. He kept trying, but it dodged every one. He was about to use his last one when Meego noticed something. As it was dodging Link's Arrows, the Treegore also stayed away from Link's torch, still stuck in a crack in the ground. There were similar cracks in the floor all over the room... "Link!" she yelled, "Don't use your last arrow yet! Make some more torches and surround the Treegore with them! Then it won't be able to dodge, or it will burn itself on a torch!"

Link pulled out more Deku Sticks and lit them on fire. He then jammed them into cracks in the floor, until the Treegore was surrounded on all sides by blazing torches, leaving it with no room to move.

Link notched his last arrow, lit it, and took aim, right at the Treegore's leafy head. "You aren't going anywhere," Link said, and let his arrow fly. It flew true and found its home, and the Treegore burst into flame. The half tree, half creature let out a bloodcurdling scream, as it sat there, helplessly, unable to prevent itself from burning alive. In the span of a minute, the fire had run its course, and all that remained of the Treegore was a pile of smoking ashes. The ases disappeared in a puff of magical smoke, leaving behind a Heart Container, and the broken hilt of the Master Sword. Link gripped the hilt of the broken blade, sensing familiarity in the feel of it even while knowing that it was different from the Master Sword that lay resting on Hyrule. The hilt began to glow, and Link and Meego became caught in its spell. The glow intensified as the Forest Ruins faded away.

Be sure to check out my map of the Forest Ruins on my website at 


	5. Gorons and Spiders

Alternate Reality—V—Gorons and Spiders

DragonKnight19

When the glow from the hilt of the broken Master Sword had faded, Link found himself standing on the platform in the forest where he had played Niro's Quartet to open the Forest Ruins. It was now after dark, so Link and Meego headed back to the village.

The Kokiri insisted that Link and Meego stay the night, and held a feast in their honor for driving the evil out of the forest. The food was great, and there was more than enough for everybody to gorge themselves. It reminded Link of his childhood in the Kokiri Forest of Hyrule. After the party was over, Link sat by the fire, polishing the hilt of the Master Sword. Unlike the Master Sword he had wielded back in Hyrule, this one was just an inert, lifeless piece of metal, its magic dispersed when it was ritualistically broken. Nevertheless, Link polished and cleaned it, so it would be ready to use when the time came.

After a while Meego flew over, having spent some time talking with the other fairies around the village. Link looked up at her and asked, "Had a good time?"

Meego landed on his shoulder. "Uh-huh," she answered. "It was fun talking with those other fairies. I learned a lot about being a fairy partner, and we shared some stories."

They sat in silence for a while after that, just staring into the flames. After a while Niro came over and sat down next to them. "I want to thank you for cleansing the forest of evil," he told them. "We have fallen on hard times, and you have made things better."

Link looked up from the fire and asked, "Why were you all so sad when I arrived? It doesn't seem like things were so bad around here that you should be so forlorn and melancholy."

That same look returned to Niro's face as he thought about it. "Do you know the story behind the destruction of the Master Sword?" Link shook his head. "Supposedly, after Link was defeated, the Evil King kidnapped three Kokiri, three Gorons, and three Zoras, and along with three of each of the remaining Angels and Rehlians, sacrificed them all in some gigantic dark ritual to destroy the Master Sword. You were right, it was supposed to be evil-proof. But this ritual was so powerful, it almost killed the Evil King while he was performing it. But it worked, and the Master Sword was destroyed.

"This morning, when we woke up, we discovered that three Kokiri were missing. I now believe that the Evil King knows of your arrival, and is preparing a second Dark Ritual in case you manage to find all the Shards of the Master Sword and reforge it."

"That's terrible," Link said. "And if you're right, then it means that their disappearance is my fault." Link stood up. "Don't worry, Niro, I promise that I'll find your friends and save them from the Evil King."

The firelight glinted off the tears running down the Kokiri's cheeks. "Thank you Link," he said. "You're friendship and actions will never be forgotten. I don't know about the Kokiri back in your land of Hyrule, but as far as I'm concerned, you are an honorary Kokiri here in Rehyul. Unlike that Tingle fellow..." Niro laughed.

"Tingle?" Link said. "I know Tingle. I met him in Termina. Is he here?"

"He lives in the village of the Big Folk," Niro said, referring to Kikorika Village. "If you know him, I'd go visit him. He really enjoys getting visits from his friends, and he's sure to help you, since he seems very attached to any friend he makes."

The next morning, Link and Meego got up bright and early, and saying goodbye to the Kokiri, took off back to the village. On the way, Link spotted a clan of fairies playing in a small pool of water. "Are they friends of yours?" Link teased Meego. She turned up her nose and humpfed.

"Humpf," she said on contempt. "Those are wild fairies. They are nothing like me. They aren't civilized. They aren't even… what's that word…starts with an 'S'…?"

"Super?" Link suggested, teasing. "Special?"

"No!" Meego said. "It means, like, they aren't as smart, they're more like animals."

"Sentient?" Link offered.

"Yeah, sentient!" Meego exclaimed. "They're not sentient. Some people even keep them as pets. The only thing they're good for is they can heal you when you're hurt."

"Really?" Link asked, and Meego nodded. Link snuck up behind the fairies, and catching one in his hands, put it in a bottle. He then poked some airholes in the cork, and put the bottle in his knapsack. They then continued on their way to the village.

Back in the village, Mayor Guilde gave them directions to Tingle's house. Link knocked on the door, but nobody answered. He was just about to leave when the door swung open. Tingle let out a whoop of joy when he saw Link standing there. "Hello, my friend!" Tingle exclaimed. In the seven years since Link had first met Tingle in Termina, the jolly, plump man who thought he was a Kokiri and was truly a child at heart had not changed one bit.

"Hi, Tingle," Link said. "Long time, no see."

Tingle nodded and said, "Yes, a very long time indeed. Won't you come in for some tea?" he offered, and Link accepted.

After they had gone inside and gotten something to drink, Tingle started off by asking, "What brings you to Rehyul, my friend?"

Link responded, "I've been sent here on a quest by Farore, the Goddess of Courage, to stop the Evil King and save the people of this land."

"You have come to fight the Evil King?" Tingle repeated. "That's good, but be careful. If you got hurt, or worse, I don't know what I'd do, I'd be so sad. How is your mission going so far?"

"Smoothly, so far," Link told him. "I'm collecting the Shards of the Master Sword from the ancient ruins all over Rehyul. I've already gotten the hilt from the forest, and I'm on my way to the mountain next."

Tingle's eyes widened at the mention of the mountain. "You're going into the mountains? Then I have a gift for you." He got up and left the room, and when he came back, he had a large rusty key. It had the design of a rock at the top, signifying the mountain. "I found this the last time I was on Death Mountain," Tingle told Link. "I have no use for it, so you may take it. Perhaps you will find a use for it."

Link thanked his friend for the gift, and said farewell. He started off west, towards the Goron Mountains. They were about as far away from the village as the Kokiri Forest, so it wasn't long before Link found himself in the foothills of the Goron Mountains. He made his way up the mountain, dodging falling boulders as he did so. Along the way he passed a cave that was boarded up and had a large padlock on it. Link tried Tingle's Key, but it did not fit. He kept going up the mountain, and the farther he went, he could tell he was getting closer to the Goron village, because he was starting to see signs of civilization.

Eventually he found the entrance to the village. It was guarded by a lone Goron Sentry. As Link approached, the Goron sat up and barred the passage. "Stop!" he commanded. "What business do you have in Goron Village?"

"My name is Link," Link told the Goron. "I've been sent to this land by Farore, the Goddess of Courage to save you from the Evil King. I only ask to be given permission to enter the Mountain Ruins."

"Really? You're gonna fight the Evil King to save us?" the Goron asked. "That's great! Okay, you can enter the village. I'm sorry if I sounded rude earlier, but you know how times are. It's my job to be suspicious of strangers. By the way, while you're in the village, if you see any Rock Sirloin, I'm starving, sitting up here all day long. If you could bring me some Rock Sirloin, That'd be great!"

Link smiled and said, "I'll keep my eyes open." He then entered Goron Village. Just like all the other Gorons Link had encountered on his many journeys, these Gorons had carved their village out of solid rock, right in the heart of the mountain. There were multiple levels of stone walkways, with many cave-like rooms branching off the main hall. Link headed towards the top of the village, where a grandly decorated entrance marked the home of the Goron Elder.

When Link got to the throne room, he found that the Goron Elder wasn't there. "He went to the Skulltula Cave to squash all the spiders," one of the Gorons told him. "You see, our Goron Elder, who had kept the Skulltula spiders away from the mountain for many years, passed away recently. His son, the Goron hero Darumo the Great, succeeded him as Elder.

"After his father passed away, the Golden Skulltulas came and took over the cave leading to the Mountain Ruins, where we worship the fire spirits. Those spiders are scary! None of us dare to go near that cave, and it was locked up to keep the spiders on. But the fire spirits have gotten angry, and are making Goron Mountain, the largest of the Goron Mountain Range, spew fire and lava. Darumo went to the Skulltula Cave to get rid of the spiders, but he hasn't come back yet."

"Well, how do I get into the Skulltula Cave?" Link asked.

The Goron replied, "There are only two keys for the cave. Darumo took one, and the other is locked in a treasure chest over there against the wall, but we've lost the key to it and can't open it." Link looked at the lock on the chest and saw that it looked like Tingle's Key. He tried the key and the lock sprung open. He grabbed the key out of the chest, which looked like a spider. "May I use it?" Link asked.

"Sure," the Goron replied. "Please get rid of all the spiders. And if you see Darumo, please tell him to come home."

On his way out Link stopped by the Goron shop and bought a bigger bomb bag so he could carry more bombs. He also purchased a Red Tunic, which was fireproof. He then left the Goron Village and went back to the locked up cave he had passed on his way up.

The Spider Key was a perfect fit for the lock on the Skulltula Cave, and Link entered, sword drawn. He found himself in a gloomy entrance cave, where there was only a sign off to the side:

"If you kill any Golden Skulltulas, please kill all thirty so they don't reproduce and come back!" _So there's thirty of them,_ Link thought to himself.

The next cavern was much larger, and Link heard the sound of many Golden Skulltulas scuttling around. "Keep your eyes peeled for any spiders," he told Meego, and she nodded in reply. Up on the ceiling, Link saw three Golden Skulltulas clinging to stalactites. He shot them with his Bow, and retrieved the Golden Skulltula Tokens with his Longshot as proof of his victory. He then killed two more behind a stone pillar, bringing his Token count to five. He took the left entrance into the next room where there was a large pile of dirt. He didn't feel like digging through it to find the spiders, so he placed bombs around it and blew it up. When the dust settled, there were three Tokens lying on the ground. He was up to eight. Link went back to the second room and went through the right entrance. In the next cavern he didn't see any spiders at first, until Meego said," Link, on the wall above the door!" Link whirled around and saw two Golden Skulltulas about to pounce on him. His Bow made quick work of them, and raised his score to ten.

Back in the second room, Link took the center path, and in the room beyond saw the largest Skulltula he had ever seen. "Don't hurt me!" the Skulltula pleaded. "I'm really a Goron! I've just been cursed!"

"Are you Darumo?" Link asked.

The Goron-spider looked surprised. "How did you know my name?" Link told Darumo who he was, and that he had been to the village. "So my friends are worried about me," Darumo mused. "It's not easy being a hero _and _the Goron Elder. Whenever trouble arises, it's my duty to take care of it. But this time I've gotten in more trouble than I can handle, and I've been cursed. Is there anything you can do to help me?"

Link pulled out his Angel's Ocarina and started playing. He played the Song of Healing, a mysterious tune with the ability to soothe and heal troubled spirits. Darumo's Goron-spider body began to glow, and when the glow faded, he was a Goron again.

"Thank you, Link!" Darumo exclaimed. "I'll never forget your helpfulness. Here, take this." He handed Link a bottle with some small Bugs in it. "You'll need them if you're going to find all the spiders. I'm counting on you to eliminate all the spiders. When you do, come back to the village, and I'll have something for you." With that said, he left and went back to Goron Village.

Link continued through the cavern in search of Golden Skulltulas. The next room had five exits, one straight ahead, covered in impenetrable cobwebs, and two on each of the side walls, two leading up and two leading down. He slayed four Golden Skulltulas in this room then took the downward path on the left.

At the bottom of the tunnel Link found an underground stream that led into a pool in the center of the cavern. A Golden Skulltula drifted across the surface of the pool, a sitting duck for Link's Bow. Meego spied another at the bottom of the pool, and after killing it with his Longshot, Link had to dive down to the bottom to get it. After he resurfaced he saw another hanging from the ceiling over the pool. He also saw a patch of soft soil with a small hole in it at the far end of the room. He released the small Bugs, and they crawled into the hole, and a Skulltula popped out. After getting those two, he had eighteen Tokens. The upward path on the left took him to a room with just a large pit in it. Around the sides of the pit he saw three spiders, which he picked off with his Bow. The fourth was way down at the bottom of the pit, so far that Link could here it but not see it, and he had to keep shooting his Longshot blindly until he finally got it. After it died, a treasure chest appeared, and Link opened it to find Rock Sirloin. He put it into his knapsack for the Goron sentry and went on to the last two rooms of the Skulltula Cave.

The lower room on the right had dozens of stalagmites sticking up out of the ground, and after searching behind all of them Link found the four spiders in that room. With twenty-six out of thirty Golden Skulltula Tokens, Link proceeded to the final cavern. When Link stepped foot into the last cavern, and his jaw dropped in amazement. In this room, there were literally hundreds of Skulltulas. Most of them weren't of the Golden variety, but were just ordinary Skulltulas. Luckily, with Meego's help he was able to pick out the three Golden Skulltulas from the rest, but he could not find the thirtieth. Dismayed, he turned and started walking down the tunnel towards the room with the five exits.

Suddenly, halfway down, Link heard the scuttling sound of a Skulltula that sounded closer than the room he had just left. He looked all around but didn't see it. Then he looked up, and in a small, dark hole in the ceiling, he saw the last one. He shot it and retrieved the thirtieth Token, and when he went back to the room with the five exits, he found that the impenetrable web had magically disappeared from the exit. Link went through and entered the Mountain Ruins.

Be sure to check out the map I made of the Skulltula Cavern on my website at 


	6. Fighting Fire With Fire

Alternate Reality--Sniper2000--Chapter VI--Fighting Fire With Fire

As soon as Link stepped foot into the Mountain Ruins, He was immediately hit by a blast of hot air. He had to quickly put on his Red Tunic to keep from succumbing to the heat. He looked around and saw that the mountain was actually an active volcano. Narrow ledges were all that kept him from falling into a pool of molten lava below. There were two separate paths, one winding upwards, and the other winding down. The left path looked more stable, so Link decided to follow that one first.

Every couple of yards there was a cavernous opening in the wall. Link walked through the first one and found himself in another cavern. As soon as he stepped foot into the room, however, an iron gate slammed shut behind him, barring the exit. Out of the shadows in the corners of the room came four Dinolfos. Okay, Link thought, if I'm careful, I can handle four Dinolfos. But then two more fell from the ceiling, and then two more, leaving Link locked in the room with eight sword-wielding, fire-breathing, teeth-chomping Dinolfos.

Link had never faced so many formidable enemies before. One Dinolfos was a piece of cake, two were not a problem, and three could be beaten if he balanced offense and defense. But eight? I'd rather fight the Dodongo King again, Link thought grimly. But he wasn't going to get anywhere in this dungeon standing around wishing fanciful wishes. He pulled out his sword and shield and prepared to fight.

All of a sudden, all eight Dinolfos rushed forward. Link had just enough time to raise his shield and dodge out of the way of their blades. While they were off balance, Link counterattacked, slashing one with his sword and bashing into another with his shield. The one he slashed breathed a gout of fire at him, but he dodged it and slashed it again, finishing it off. Link then saw that the he had pushed back with his shield had stumbled backwards and impaled himself on the sword of the one behind it. Two down, six to go, Link thought.

After seeing two of their fellows fall within a minute of the battle, the other six Dinolfos seemed to decide to fight more cautiously. They formed a circle around Link and all breathed fire at him at once. Link jumped at just the right moment, and kicked one of the Dinolfos in the head. While it was down, he chopped off its scaly head. Two more Dinolfos rushed at Link, but he ducked just in time and they stabbed each other, leaving three left.

It was at this moment that Link realized he was going to win this fight. Now that there were only three of them left, he could easily take them, even if all three attacked at once. To make things easier, the Dinolfos for some reason decided to attack one at a time, so Link had plenty of time to fight each one individually. After the last one had fallen, the gate rose and a treasure chest appeared, rewarding Link with the dungeon map.

After such a grueling battle, many warriors would have stopped to rest, but not Link. He just kept picturing who he was fighting for: the little children of Kikorika Village, who couldn't play outside for fear of monsters; for the Kokiri, who didn't feel safe, even in the protected glen of their forest haven; for the Gorons, who daily had to suffer under the wrath of an active volcano; and lastly, for Trinity, who selflessly helped others get through these dark times, and was probably even now locked away in some dark smelly dungeon, or worse... For her sake, and for the sake of the rest of Rehyul, Link kept going, sop that his quest could be completed that much quicker.

Link hurried on to the next room and was surprised to see it empty. All he saw was a small ledge with some pots on it. He was walking towards the pots when he heard a sound behind him, like dirt being shoveled. He turned around and narrowly avoided being tackled by a Baby Dondongo. He quickly slashed at it with his sword, and it exploded in mid-air. Immediately two more rose out of the ground and dove at him. Link dodged out of the way, and the two Baby Dodongos crashed into one another in a huge explosion. Their deaths heralded the arrival of four more. Link charged up his magical Spin Attack, and as son as all four were in range, he released the energy, striking down all four in a single blow. As they died in a blazing explosion, the iron bars blocking the exit rose, allowing Link to enter the next room.

In the next room, Link saw three regular-sized Dodongos. He quietly sneaked up behind the first one and slashed its tail. It screamed in pain, twirled around, took a deep breath, and let loose a large gout of fire straight at Link. He dove out of the way and quickly slashed its tail again. However, this time he wasn't as quick in getting away. When the Dodongo spun around, it tripped Link with its tail. He rolled out of the way just in time to avoid getting roasted, but the sleeve of his tunic caught fire. He put it out and attacked the Dodongo one more time, and this time the lizard exploded. Link repeated this process for the remaining two Dodongos, then entered the next room.

The first thing that Link noticed was that the room looked familiar. It was shaped like a square, with a pool of lava in the middle. A wide path ran all around the outside of the room, and there were Bomb Flowers in the corners of the room. Suddenly, Link heard the heavy breathing of a large creature right behind him. He spun around and immediately remembered where he had seen this room before. Standing right behind him, staring at him hungrily with its beady little lizard eyes, was the Dodongo King.

Link had fought this giant dinosaur once before, as a child exploring the Dodongo's Cavern back in Hyrule. How or why it was alive again and standing before him was irrelevant. He had to act quickly or it would burn him to a crisp with its flame breath, or roll over him and squash him flat.

The Dodongo King started marching toward Link. It stopped and took a deep breath, preparing to breathe fire at Link. But before it could, Link yanked up one of the Bomb Flowers and tossed it into the Dodongo King's mouth. It swallowed the bomb, which exploded in its stomach a few seconds later. The creature bellowed in pain, then curled into a ball and started rolling toward Link. He dove out of the way, narrowly landing on the small ledge at the edge of the lava. The beast rolled halfway around the room before it crashed into a wall, then turned and faced Link again. Link repeated this process two more times, and the Dodongo King rolled into the lava, committing suicide.

Suddenly, Link realized that Meego was nowhere to be seen. "Meego!" he shouted. "Meego! Where are you?" He didn't see her anywhere. Was it possible that the Dodongo King had eaten her?

Abruptly Link heard her tiny, trembling voice come out from under the hood of his tunic. "Is it over?" she asked.

A wave of relief washed over Link. "Yeah, its safe to come out," he told her.

Meego flew out of his tunic and sat on his shoulder. "That was scary!" she said. "How could you even look at that big, scary dinosaur? I thought it was going to eat both of us!"

Link continued talking as he headed for the exit. "Well, I've fought that dino before. He's really a lot easier to beat than you think." He entered the next room and grabbed the Compass out of the treasure chest. The next room merely had a pit of lava separating two ledges, one on either side of the room. The one Link was standing on had a switch he had to step on, and when he did, a treasure chest fell from the ceiling on the other side. He pulled out his Hookshot and shot it at the chest, and pulled himself across the gap. He opened the chest to find a small key. He crossed back over the gap, then exited the room.

The narrow walkway Link was on dead-ended in a locked door. Link used his key, and the door opened, revealing a set of stairs leading up. He took the stairs and moved on to the second floor of the dungeon.

As soon as Link stepped into the first room of the second floor, he was immediately hit by something invisible which caused his tunic to catch on fire. He quickly put it out and pulled out the Lens of Truth. The Lens of Truth was a magnifying glass which allowed him to see invisible objects. Looking through it, he could clearly see the burning Keese bat flying away. He shot it down with his Bow, then slayed three more around the room. Once the last one was dead, a treasure chest appeared, rewarding him with a small key. He used it on the locked door to go on to the next room. In here, a twisting, narrow path led to the exit. However, as soon as Link walked into the room, a wall of fire started advancing on him. He ran through the windy, narrow path as fast as he possibly could without falling off, with the wall of fire nipping at his heels the entire time.

Link barely made it through the door in time before the wave of fire crashed into the wall. He was now in the third room of the second floor. He almost fell off the tiny ledge which only ended a few feet from the door. A large pit of lava filled most of the room. The only other solid ground was an equally small platform in front of the other door. There was also a crystal switch in an alcove to his left. Link shot it with his Bow, and a platform rose out of the lava in front of him, just within jumping distance. Link jumped to it, and found that from that spot he could see another alcove with another crystal switch. He shot that one too, and another platform came up, within range of both the platform he was on, as well as the ledge next to the exit. Link made his way across and exited the room.

Once again, he found himself on a small platform. Geez, Link thought, Whoever designed these Ruins really had a fetish for small platforms. Across the gap Link could see a Hookshot tower. He used his Hookshot to get across, then entered the door into the next room. This room was relatively simple. At one end of the room, there was a lit torch; at the other end, there were two unlit torches. Link shot arrows through the lit torch at the unlit torches. As they passed through the lit torch, they caught fire and carried the flames to the unlit torches. Once they were both lit, a chest appeared between them, which contained a key.

Link stepped out of the room onto yet another small, isolated platform. The only thing he could see that was out of the ordinary was a small ledge on the other side of the crevasse, about a foot across. "Hey Meego," Link said, "go check out that ledge." The fairy agreed and flew over. She looked at it, then came back and told Link what she saw.

"There's a big hole in it," she told him. "It's about two feet deep, and at the bottom is a crystal switch."

Link thought about it for a moment. "It's too deep to hit with an arrow, and its obviously out of range of my sword," he thought out loud.

Suddenly Meego piped up, "What about a bomb? If you tossed a bomb just right, it would fall into the hole and activate the switch!"

"Great idea, Meego!" Link exclaimed. "See, your getting the hang of this adventurer business." Meego blushed, but didn't say anything. Link pulled out a bomb, lit the fuse, then tossed it towards the ledge. Although he arced it high enough, the angle was a little off, so it bounced off the rim and fell into the abyss. He tried again, and this time he succeeded.

Without warning, Link heard a whooshing, gurgling sound, like water, only there isn't any water in a volcano..."Lava!" Link shouted. "The volcano's erupting!" But he was only half right. It was lava, but the volcano was not erupting. Instead, a large jet of lava was rising up from the depths of the mountain, bearing upward a platform of solid rock. It stopped directly in front of Link, so that he could walk across the platform. As soon as he stepped foot on the other side, the platform and lava sank back down whence it came.

Link proceeded through the next door, and was greeted by two Stalfos. He quickly defeated the first skeleton warrior, but the second was more defensive. After circling around Link, just out of range of his sword, the first one was magically resurrected, much to Link's chagrin. "Great," he muttered. " Twin Stalfos. That means I'll have to defeat them both in rapid succession." If he didn't, the first one would get resurrected again. This time, he went after the more defensive Stalfos, and the less defensive one proved no match for him. The remains of both disappeared in a puff of smoke.

In the next room, Link had to face Dinolfos. After facing eight in the first room of the dungeon, this was two easy for him. While one circled him, looking for a chance to attack, Link darted forward and slew the other one. Knowing that the second one would take advantage of his turned back to attack, he immediately stabbed the air behind himself, catching the Dinolfos in the gut. As Link turned around he swung his sword outward, slicing the Dinolfos in two. It disappeared in a puff of smoke, and Link exited the room.

Link was now at a dead end, with only one more door. With no other options, he strode through the door, and it locked shut behind him. The room he was now in glowed orange from the many torches on the walls. There were scorch marks on the malls and floor, and the rough sketch of a duel circle was chalked on the floor. "You're out of your league, hero," a high-pitched voice said. "You're on my turf now."

The flames of all the torches converged in the center of the room, and took on the form of a man. It then exploded, and when the smoke lifted, a tall, scrawny man with a whip was standing there. "You may have defeated Machete Man, the Forest Guardian, but you'll find Butch the Mountain Guardian too hot to handle."

Link immediately busted out laughing. "Butch? That's a scary name," he said sarcastically. He doubled over, he was laughing so hard.

"Link, look out!" Meego yelled. Link looked up and saw the whip flashing toward him. He instinctively raised his shield, but was still knocked back by the force of the blow.

"Laugh at me, will you?" Butch bellowed. "I'll teach you some respect!" His bright red hair suddenly burst into flame, and so did the whip in his hand. He swung the burning whip, and it darted towards Link. Link dodged out of the way, and the whip struck the wall, leaving a scorch mark.

Link got to his feet and rushed towards Butch. He ducked a swing of the whip and swung his sword out. It raked across Butch's chest, cutting through his red tunic and drawing blood. At the sight of his own blood, Butch's eyes narrowed and he growled, and the fire on his head and on the whip intensified.

Suddenly Meego noticed something. "Link, the fire on his head controls the fire on his whip! If you put out the fire on his head..." Link gave her the thumbs-up and continued to fight the Mountain Guardian. The whip flashed towards him again, and Link swung at it with his sword, and the whip wrapped around his sword, and got stuck. Taking advantage of his opponent's momentary shock, Link pulled out his Bow and arrow, used his magic to summon an Ice Arrow, and shot it at the fire on Butch's head. It struck the flames, and they resided a little. As the fire went down on his head, so did the fire on the whip, still wrapped around Link's sword.

"You're a bit of a hothead, Butch," Link said. "You need to cool off." He shot another Ice Arrow, and the fire went out, both on Butch's head, and on the whip. Butch's stance immediately slumped, as he realized he was beat. Link shot one more Ice Arrow, and it struck Butch right between the eyes. His eyes went wide and his mouth opened in a silent scream as his head became encased in ice. The Mountain Guardian's body burst into flames, and was consumed. Within a few seconds, all that was left was a pile of ashes.

_You may have one this time_, Butch's voice echoed throughout the room, _But the Ocean Guardian will avenge me!_

As the voice faded away, a treasure chest appeared in the center of the room. When Link opened it, he found Butch's Fire Whip. He could use it with or without the fire, by using his magic. With fire, he could melt ice, and do twice as much damage to enemies. Without fire, he could flip switches, activate crystal switches, swing across gaps, or pull small items towards him.

The door was still locked, so Link started looking around for a way to open it. In an alcove above the door, Link spied a switch that was out of his reach. He used the Whip to pull the switch, and the door opened. Link walked out, and in the dead end to his left, a glowing portal sat waiting for him. He stepped into it, and was carried to the next part of the dungeon.

When Link stepped out of the portal, he found himself back at the entrance. But this time, instead of going left, he looked right, and saw up high, a metal bar hanging from the ceiling. Link struck it with his Whip and it stuck. He swung across the pit and landed safely in the other side.

Through the first door on the left, Link found himself on a small ledge. Across a gap was another small ledge. He used his Hookshot to pull himself across. Turning to the left, he saw the same thing again. He crossed the gap again, then turned left and did it twice more, so that he ended up in the same corner he had started in, but on the other side of a wall. On this side, there was a chest, inside which Link found a key. He crossed back over the four gaps and exited the room.

Link had to use his key to get into the next room. As soon as he stepped through the door, he immediately felt like he had returned to the Fire Temple. He was back in the maze with the rolling rocks. It was an exact replica of the one back in Hyrule. Since he had already been through it before, it didn't take him long to get through it. Avoiding the rolling boulders, Link made his way through the maze, to the door on the other side.

The only thing on the other side of the door was a set of stairs descending deeper into the mountain. At the bottom of the stairs was a locked door and a flip switch. Link used the Fire Whip to pull the switch, and immediately the floor beneath his feet leveled out into a ramp and Link slid down into the darkness. As he slid down the chute, he could feel himself getting faster and faster, but there was no way of slowing his descent.

Suddenly, it started getting brighter and brighter, and hotter as well. "Link!" Meego shouted, "your heading right for a boiling lake of lava!"

"I know!" Link shouted back. "I need to stop somehow." He looked down in the direction that he as heading and saw a ledge approaching quickly. Link pulled out the Whip and whipped it toward the ledge. It caught on something, and Link's descent was slowed to a stop. He climbed up the whip and clambered onto the ledge. In front of him was a large, ornate door. he crossed the threshold and entered the Master's Lair.

The cavern was mostly dark, with the only light coming from the ambient glow of the lava. With the exception of a few boulders floating in the lava, there was no other solid ground in the whole room. Link didn't see the monster anywhere, so he started jumping from boulder to boulder, across the cave.

Suddenly, a deafening roar echoed throughout the room, and a pillar of fire shot up directly in front of Link. From the flames emerged the largest, fiercest dragon Link had ever seen, and he had seen quite a few on his journeys. It snapped at him, and he just barely had enough time to dive towards the next rock.

Before the dragon could react, Link leapt towards it, pulled out his sword, and slashed across the dragon's abdomen. Link quickly jumped back, expecting the dragon to howl in pain and strike back, but it just sat there, as if Link had done nothing. Then Link realized that he hadn't done anything; the dragon's scales were so hard that his sword was useless.

But Link had no more time to think. The dragon breathed a large gout of fire right at him, and he had to retreat once again. It was then that Link noticed the stalactites hanging from the ceiling, some with very large cracks in them. All they would take would be to barely touch them, and they would come crashing down on whoever was unlucky enough to be standing directly beneath them. But they were out of reach... Link pulled out the Whip, powered it up into the Fire Whip, and struck the stalactite directly above the dragon. It fell on the beast, injuring it and causing it to roar in pain and rage.

The dragon dove into the lava, and for a few seconds all was quiet. Then the whole cavern started quaking, and Link realized that this could only mean one thing: the dragon was making the volcano erupt.

The room of the cavern suddenly collapsed, revealing the shaft of the volcano. Link could see sunlight at the top, far above his head. All of a sudden there was a loud roar, and Link was shot upwards. He was caught in an eruption!

At least the dragon was caught in it too. Link was standing on a rock bobbing up and down on the surface of the rising pillar of magma. The dragon surfaced out of the magma and snapped at Link. He jumped to another rock and struck at the dragon with the Fire Whip. It wrapped around its neck, and Link yanked the dragon's head into a rock, knocking it silly.

Then the rising pillar of magma broke free of the volcano and shot into the air. The dragon flapped its wings and slowed its own descent, as Link started to plummet back to earth. almost on instinct, Link caught the dragon with his Whip, saving himself. Not realizing that he had a stowaway, the dragon lowered them into the smoldering crater of the volcano, where activity was already dying down. The lava had stopped erupting already, and was confined to a boiling lake of lava which filled most of the crater. There were some boulders floating in the lava, and the rim of the crater was broken into four large platforms, but they were out of Link's reach. rocks continued to fall out of the sky from the eruption.

As the dragon descended, Link landed on one of the floating boulders and the dragon landed on one of the four platforms on the rim. It was about to attack Link when it noticed a rock falling towards it. The dragon dodged out of the way and jumped to the next platform. This gave Link an idea. he caught the dragon's head with the Whip and pulled it to the side, holding it under the shadow of a falling rock. The rock was almost there when the dragon pulled with all its might and broke free of the Whip.

Meego was watching all this happen, when she suddenly got an idea. "Link! what if you used the Fire power of the Whip, making it the Fire Whip? Light it on fire! Maybe the extra pain will keep the dragon from breaking free!"

"Thanks. Meego!" Link replied, and focused his magic into the Whip. It burst into flame, and Link caught the dragon again. This time, the fire prevented the dragon from breaking free, and when the next rock descended, it crushed the dragon beneath it. The dragon breathed an enormous breath of fire at Link as its internal fire was extinguished. Link dodged out of the way, to the next rock.

All that remained of the Mountain Dragon was is head, which stuck out from under the rock. Its mouth was still open, and Link saw something glittering inside. He reached into the dead dragon's mouth, and pulled out the second Shard of the Master Sword. He now had two of the three pieces. He looked around for the magical warp that would take him back to the entrance, but there was none. He climbed to the rim of the volcano to get a better look, and to his surprise saw a set of stairs that descended the volcano, straight towards the Goron village. He took one last look at the slain Mountain Dragon, then headed back to the village.

Be sure to check out my map of the Mountain Ruins on my website, 


	7. Reclaming Zora Isle

Alternate Reality—VII—Reclaiming Zora Isle

DragonKnight19

Back at the village, the Gorons insisted that Link stay the night, so they could hold the Brotherhood Ceremony in the morning. Just like back in Hyrule, Link had earned the respect of the Gorons by saving them from their enemy, the Mountain Dragon. He had also saved Darumo in the Skulltula Cave. In addition, he had renewed their hope, giving them the courage to make it through these dark times.

The next morning, a simple ceremony was performed in Link's honor, in which he was made an official Brother of the Gorons, the greatest honor bestowed by the Gorons upon those of other races. They tried to get him to stay longer, but he insisted that he had to continue his quest. Darumo told him that the Zoras, who lived on an island not far off shore, worshipped at Ruins located on the ocean floor. If he could earn their respect, they would be able to help him. Link thanked Darumo and headed off towards the ocean.

The next day, Link finally made it to the beach. He could see Zora Isle off on the horizon, but he had no way of getting there. He decided to walk farther down the beach, and hope that an opportunity presented itself. Luckily, one soon did. As Link was walking down the beach, the sun was slowly setting, making the ocean look like it was on fire. As he stared at it, the fire seemed to ripple, until Link realized that there was a group of something moving through the water, right towards him. Curious, he hid behind a boulder to wait for whatever it was to come out.

Their scales glistened orange in the sunset as three majestic Zoras strode out of the surf. They were armed to the teeth with weapons made of aquatic materials, such as fish bone and seashells. Link didn't want to startle them, since they would probably kill him on the spot, so he stayed hidden behind the boulder merely watched them. Unfortunately, they headed right for the boulder. He ducked behind the boulder and pulled his sword out, ready to defend himself from their attack, but it never came. Instead, they stopped in front of the boulder, said something in their fish language, and the boulder slid back, revealing a secret opening, and almost crushed Link in the process. The Zoras descended into the hole, and Link ducked in after them as the boulder slid back into place.

It took Link's eyes a few moments to adjust to the dim light. He found himself in some kind of tunnel. Luckily, the three Zoras were farther down the tunnel, and didn't notice that Link had followed them. He set off after them, determined to find out what they were up to. Before long, the tunnel opened into a vast underground grotto. The walls were decorated with materials of the sea, and in the center of the far wall was a throne. Upon the throne sat King Zora, but not as Link remembered him from Hyrule. This King was not fat and naïve, merely a figurehead like the one in Hyrule. This king looked more like a warlord. He was fit and muscular, and looked very dangerous. He was holding a meeting with a dozen warriors, who were listening to the report of the three scouts Link had followed in.

As soon as they were finished, King Zora nodded and said, "Very good. Now I want somebody to bring me the intruder who has been listening to our entire conversation." Link realized that he was talking about him, and he pulled out his sword, ready to fight them off. However, realizing that he was outnumbered twelve to one, he sheathed his sword and allowed himself to be brought before the king.

"What have we here?" asked the king, as he looked Link over. "A spy of the Evil King, no doubt. I don't know how or why you have found this place, but we cannot afford for you to leave with the knowledge you have gained here. Do you have any last words?"

"Yes, I do," Link replied. "If you kill me, you will be making a big mistake. I am an ally of King Zora of Hyrule, and the beloved of his daughter, Princess Ruto."

One of the warriors stepped forward and regarded Link coolly. "You honestly expect us to believe that story? A Zora princess in love with a human? No Zora would stoop that low."

"That's enough, Darko," King Zora said. "While I am suspicious of his story, we cannot afford to assume that he is lying. If he speaks the truth, and we kill him, the consequences for us will be severe, and the dishonor will be great. If the princess truly does love you, human, then there must be more to you than meets the eye. Keep talking, if you wish to postpone your death."

Link proceeded to tell the Zoras his tale. "My name is Link, and I am the hero of Hyrule. Time and Time again, I have protected my kingdom from the clutches of evil, and now I have come to end the oppressive reign of the Evil King. But first, I need your permission to enter the Ocean Ruins and obtain the Shard of the Master Sword which resides there."

The king thought for a moment, and then with a wave of his hand, released Link. "I don't know if your story is true, but there is one way to decide. You shall participate in a duel. If you win, we will believe you. If you lose, you die."

Link pulled out his sword. "Very well, is that's how it has to be. Who shall I fight? Is it you, King Zora?"

"How dare you!" shouted Darko. His earlier cool exterior had given way to a fiery temper. Very few things could get under his skin, but insulting the king was one of them. "The king, fight you? Why should he sink to your level? I shall fight you! I will teach you to respect the king." He pulled out a long, sharp blade made from the sword of a swordfish. "Let's get this over with."

The other warriors cleared out to the edge of the room to leave plenty of space for the duel. The combatants started at opposite ends of the room, facing each other. When the bell sounded, both fighters rushed forward and met at the middle. Link was immediately surprised by the ferocity of his opponent. He had figured that Darko would be vengeful, but cool and deliberate. Instead, he was almost in a rage. Link used Darko's anger to his advantage, taking a passive role, and letting Darko make hasty mistakes, leaving room for Link to retaliate. Within a minute, both fighters had landed considerable blows, but Link obviously had the upper hand. A slash across the cheek narrowly missed gouging out his eye, and Link's temper flared as well. He deflected Darko's next attack, and raised his sword over his head, prepared to strike. Darko brought his own sword up to block, but Link's finely tempered, steel Hero Sword sliced right through the Zora's sword, which was made of bone and cartilage, snapping it right in two.

Darko dropped to his knees in defeat. "The battle is over," he said, "and you are victorious. I only ask that you make my death swift and honorable."

Link sheathed his sword. "Why should I kill you?"

"To the victor go the spoils, and to the loser, death," replied Darko. "That's the way it's always been, and that's the way it always will be. Now finish me off!"

"No," Link said. "I have no vendetta against you, and no reason to kill you. I have accomplished what I needed to do, and there is no need for further bloodshed."

Darko rose to his feet and faced Link. "You are quite the strange one, human. There must truly be more to you than meets the eye. I shall help you in you quest, and earn your respect."

King Zora then made a deal with Link. He would help Link reach the Ocean Ruins, if he would help the Zoras with their mission. A gang of rebellious Zoras, calling themselves the Barracudas, had pledged their allegiance to the Evil King, and he granted them the power to control ice. With this power, they usurped the throne and almost killed King Zora. The king and twelve faithful warriors managed to escape, but most of the Zoras were caught by the Barracudas, and were being tortured or coerced into support of the Barracudas. Now King Zora and his followers planned to stage an assault on Zora Isle to recapture the throne and rescue their people. They asked Link to help them, and he agreed.

Once night fell, Link and the Zoras set their plan into motion. Under the cover of darkness, they slipped into the waters of the bay, and silently made their way towards Zora Isle. The Zoras had given Link a Blue Tunic which allowed him to breathe normally underwater, so he was able to sneak in underwater with the rest of the Zoras. The only obstacles they met along the way were a few Skullfish, which they easily finished off without a problem.

They made it onto the island without being noticed, and took out the two guards who were slacking off at the back entrance. Link's Zora companions tied up the unconscious Zora guards, but did not kill them, because Darko identified them as warriors who were still loyal to the king, but had been coerced into service for the Barracuda gang. They snuck inside the Zora Palace and made their way closer to the throne room.

Once inside, Link got an idea and stopped his comrades. "Wait a minute," he said, coming to a halt. "If this is supposed to be a covert operation, we can't have all thirteen of us wandering around in a group. We should split up and clear out the whole palace, and then converge on the throne room. That way, there won't be any surprise reinforcements to stop us."

"That's a good idea," Darko agreed. Since the King had stayed behind and put Darko in charge, the other Zoras had to obey his command. "Link and I will be one team. You-" he pointed to one of the warriors- "go inform the king of our change in plans. The rest of you, pair up, then spread out and cover the whole palace. Once the island is secure, we will confront the leader of the Barracudas in the throne room. Now move out!"

As the one Zora warrior left to inform the King, the other warriors paired off, until there were six teams of two. Three teams went down the corridor to the left, and the other three went right, and they spread out across the palace, using the shadows and moving as silently as ghosts. They systematically checked each room and took out any opposition along the way. Link and Darko headed towards the stairs, and made their way to the top of the palace, where the Zoras operated a huge lighthouse. If the lighthouse was left in the hands of the Barracudas, they could signal for the scouting parties to return from their search for King Zora. But if Link and company managed to disable it, the scouts wouldn't know to come back and fight.

The temperature inside the palace was frigid. There was ice everywhere, a sure sign of the Barracuda's power. In addition to slick spots on the floor, which made the going very slippery, there were also icy patches on the walls where it appeared that someone had narrowly avoided becoming a Zorasicle. Perhaps there was dissention among the Barracuda gang. Link stored that thought away, hoping that it would come in handy later.

They eventually found the stairs without seeing anybody along the way. They proceeded to the second floor, where they were immediately greeted by two Barracuda warriors. Link and Darko dove out of the way as the Barracudas started hurling blasts of ice at them. The magical attacks were being thrown so furiously that Link and Darko couldn't do anything but constantly avoid them.

All of a sudden, Link got an idea. As he dodged an attack, he pulled out the Fire Whip, and using his magic, lit it up in flames. When the next icy attack came at him, Link flicked the Fire Whip at it, melting it in midair. The Zora who had summoned it just stood there, dumbstruck, not expecting that somebody could counter his icy magic. Link took this hesitation to his advantage, and quickly struck back. Remembering King Zora's warning that most of them had been coerced, and weren't really his enemies, Link struck with the flat of his blade, knocking the warrior unconscious. He then turned to the other Barracuda, who was busy trying to hit Darko. Link tapped him on the shoulder, and when he turned around, Link punched him right in the face, sending him sprawling. Darko leapt on his foe, tied him up and gagged him. Then, ignoring the other two doors in the room for now, they proceeded to the third floor.

Link and Darko stepped out into the dark, moonless night. The third floor was just a small balcony right outside the lighthouse. There were two Barracudas guarding the lighthouse, and when they saw Link and Darko, they came running over with swords drawn. Link quickly defeated his opponent, who sank to the floor, unconscious. The other stopped and summoned a blast of ice, and hurled it at Darko. He dove, but was too slow. The magical attack caught him in the legs, and they became frozen together. The Zora descended upon Darko, intent on finishing him off. He was about to do it, when Link jumped in the way, brandishing the Hero Sword and Fire Whip. The Zora hurled a blast of ice at him, then turned and ran down the stairs. Link diffused the attack with his Fire Whip, and then turned to care for his fallen partner. "Are you okay?" he asked Darko.

"I'm fine," Darko replied through chattering teeth. His legs from the knees down were fused together in a solid block of ice. He was starting to turn an even deeper shade of blue.

"Hang on," Link told him. He wrapped the Whip around Darko's legs, and then increased the intensity of the fire. All of a sudden, ten Barracudas came rushing up the stairs. Obviously the Zora who had escaped had gotten reinforcements. Link stood up and brandished the Hero Sword and Fire Whip. If he was going to be beaten, he was going to go down fighting.

Before any of the Barracudas could react, Link made the first move. He lashed out with the Fire Whip, caught one of the warriors around the legs, and pulled his feet out from under him, and knocking over another in the process. Immediately, four blasts of ice retaliated, but Link swung the Fire Whip with one hand, melting al four in midair, and swung the Hero Sword with the other hand, taking out another Barracuda. Two more came at him from behind, but Link did a backflip over their heads, and then smashed their heads together, knocking them unconscious. Another blast of ice narrowly missed his sword arm, and Link spun around and punched the culprit right in the face, sending him flying.

A few moments into the battle and each of their attacks had failed, Link remained untouched, and five of the Zoras lay sprawled around him, unconscious. The remaining five Barracudas gathered into a group and focused all their energy into a single attack. A huge blast of ice came rocketing at Link, and he had just enough time to raise his shield. Link was sent flying and his shield became too cold to hold, but that was the least of his worries, because the force of the blast had knocked him over the edge of the balcony.

Link plummeted through the air as the ground rose up to meet him. Acting quickly, he pulled out his Whip and launched it at a flagpole jutting out of the wall. It caught, and Link's vertical descent turned into a horizontal swing. He landed on a balcony on the second floor, and then rushed inside to rejoin the battle.

Link found himself in some sort of training facility. Two Barracudas were in there practicing their swordplay, and when they noticed Link, they decided to put their skills to the test. They advanced on him, holding their swords cautiously but confidently.

Link sighed. He didn't have time to deal with these two. Who knew what could be happening to Darko at that very moment. He did a Hurricane Spin Attack, throwing both Zoras into nearby walls, and knocking them out. "Keep practicing, boys," he said as he rushed out of the room and back up the stairs to the third floor.

"You shall not win, usurpers," Link heard Darko inform the Barracudas as he ascended the last few stairs. He found that Darko had pulled himself into a standing position and was holding the Barracudas at bay with his sword, but Link saw one preparing an ice attack. Link threw himself into the fray, tackling the one who was about to attack. The other four froze in surprise, either at Link's sudden reappearance, or simply at the fact that he had survived his fall. Link attacked them in their momentary pacifism, and quickly disposed of them. They slumped to the floor, out cold, and Link turned to tend to his frozen friend.

"I'm glad to see you survived," Darko said as Link used the Fire Whip to melt the ice around Darko's legs. "To be honest, I thought for sure that your fall had done you in. You truly are remarkable, human."

"Thanks, Darko," Link replied. "Coming from you, that means so much to me." He grinned. "There, all done." Link stood up and stepped back, giving Darko room to stretch his newly freed legs. "How does it feel?"

Darko took a few uneasy steps and replied, "A little numb, but I can still go on."

"Good," Link answered. "Now let's shut off this lighthouse." He turned and looked at the rotating light. Half the tower was covered in ice, and Link couldn't see any way to shut it off. Suddenly, inside one of the blocks of ice, Link noticed the faint outline of a switch. He powered up the Fire Whip and struck with it, melting through the ice and flipping the switch underneath. The spotlight went out, and Link and Darko were plunged into complete darkness. The only light came from the stars far above their heads. Using the Fire Whip as a torch, they found their way back to the stairs and headed back down.

Back on the ground floor, they stopped in front of the closed throne room doors. Link pressed his ear to the door, and heard a loud voice barking orders. It sounded like there were about a dozen or more people in there. "This is it," Darko said as Link stood up. "Once we dethrone their leader, our mission is complete. All we have to do is wait for the signal, and then we'll go in and confront him."

"What's the signal?" Link asked.

"The cry of a seagull, three times," Darko replied. "That's the signal that the other teams are in place. Then we go in, and end this."

They sat around for a while, waiting for the signal. The other teams came by, one by one, to let them know that they were ready. Finally, they were waiting for just the last team, who would give the signal once they secured the perimeter. While they were waiting, Darko tried to start up a conversation. "So tell me about your quest," he asked.

Figuring that it couldn't hurt, and they had some time to kill, Link began his tale. "I am originally from Hyrule, where I am the Hero of Time. I protect Hyrule from the forces of evil. A few days ago, I was sent here by the Triforce. I was told that Rehyul was suffering without hope under a ruthless tyrant, and that only I could save you.

"I arrived in a forest, and found a young woman staring at me. Her name was Trinity. She took me back to a safe house she ran, and while I was there, the Evil King's minions attacked it. I fought them off, but they managed to kidnap Trinity. I found this in the basement." He pulled out the Angel's Ocarina and showed it to Darko. "When I picked it up, an angel appeared and told me that I had to reforge the broken Shards of the Master Sword and use it at the Temple of Time. To enter the Evil Realm, save Trinity, and defeat the Evil King.

"I already have two of the three Shards. I found the hilt in the Forest Ruins, located in the Kokiri Forest. While I was there, I brought a little hope back to the melancholy Kokiri, who used to be so full of life, but were sad and depressed.

"The second piece I received after surviving a volcanic eruption and defeating the Mountain Dragon atop Goron Mountain. While I was up there, I saved the Goron elder, Darumo, from the curse of the Golden Skulltulas. Now the only piece I need is in the Ocean Ruins, and once our mission here is finished, I can go get it."

Darko sat back, amazement breaking through his cool, reserved nature. This human has done so much, and with no personal gain of any sort. He had repeatedly risked his life for an entire kingdom of complete strangers. Even he, the greatest warrior of the Zora race, paled in comparison to this man. "You are truly remarkable, Link," Darko said finally. "I wish you the best of luck in the rest of your journey, and I shall assist you in any way I can."

Link was about to thank him when they heard the cry of a seagull three times, giving the signal to move in on the final objective of their mission. Link and Darko drew their swords, then threw open the doors to the throne room.

"Your reign here has ended, usurper," Darko shouted as they marched through the door. The leader of the Barracuda gang looked up in surprise. Link and Darko marched right up to the throne and confronted the surprised Zora. "We have come to relieve you of your leadership obligations," Darko said coolly.

The gang leader shot Darko an icy stare and replied, "That may have been your intent, but you seem to be outnumbered." Link looked around the room and saw twelve Barracuda warriors forming a circle around them, blocking off any escape.

Despite this, Darko merely grinned. "That's what you think." He snapped his fingers and the four side doors burst open, and the other members of Darko's group came rushing in, leveling the playing field. "Look's like the numbers are even, rebel. Now in the name of the rightful King, I challenge you to a battle."

"Stop! No man, Zora or human, is to touch the usurper!"

All present turned to see who had spoken, and saw King Zora standing at the main entrance. "No one is to harm the one who has stolen my throne," the king repeated. "That responsibility lies with me."

The Barracuda leader smirked. "You're going to fight me, King Zora? Need I remind you that I have the support of the Evil King, who has granted me certain, special advantages..." He formed a ball of ice between his hands and threw it at King Zora, who dodged it with amazing agility.

"Your dirty methods of fighting will not give you enough advantage to beat me," King Zora goaded. "If you think it will serve you, then accept my challenge. Winner takes the throne, and the other's life. Or are you a coward?"

"Nobody insults me in front of my men!" the Barracuda leader shouted, getting up from the throne. I shall kill you and give your head to the Evil King as a gift!"

Link and the other Zoras cleared out to the edges of the room to give their two leaders enough room to fight. King Zora wielded a magnificent blade made of fused Great White Shark's teeth, and no shield. The Barracuda leader had a swordfish blade similar to Darko's, and a shield made from the shell of a sea turtle. They backed up to opposite sides of the room, and at the signal from Link, the battle for the throne began.

As soon as Link gave the signal, both combatants leapt forward, intent on landing the first blow. That honor went to the Barracuda leader, who blocked King Zora's attack and slashed him across the arm. At the sight of his opponent's blood, the gang leader grinned. "Looks like I drew first blood, your highness, he said scornfully.

Though his arm was bleeding, it didn't faze King Zora. "First blood isn't as important as last blood," he replied coolly. He rushed at the gang leader again, and this time nimbly dodged to the side at the last moment and cut a huge slash across the Barracuda's back.

The gang leader gritted his teeth in pain, but didn't let on that he was suffering. Now with vengeance added to his vendetta, he came at the king with newfound vigor. King Zora kept his cool and used his enemy's anger to his advantage, allowing the Barracuda to make hasty mistakes, and then strike back.

Soon it was quite obvious that the gang leader was no match for the king. He had landed a few more blows after his first strike, but he himself was bleeding profusely from several cuts all over his body. He threw down his shield and turned to his backup plan. He raised his hand and pointed it right at the king. An enormous blast of ice shot right towards the king, who jumped out of the way.

The gang leader growled in frustration, and attacked again. Again, the king barely escaped the attack. The usurper kept hurling attack after attack with increasing intensity. Finally, the king stopped dodging and threw his sword at the Barracuda leader. With amazing accuracy, the sword lodged itself in the rebel's gut.

He just stood there for a moment, staring dumbfounded at the sword buried in his stomach. Then he fell to the ground, defeated. King Zora came over and stood over his fallen foe. "That's what happens when you defy the King of the Zoras," he said coldly.

Despite the sword in his gut, the leader of the Barracudas managed to laugh. "You may have defeated me, King Zora, but you didn't win." With his dying breath, he summoned a huge ball of ice and hurled it at King Zora at point-blank range. Catching him completely off guard, it struck him in the chest and slowly spread until the king's entire body was encased in ice.

"NOOOOOO!" Darko shouted, and ran over. He tried to break the ice, but when he realized he couldn't, he began to brutally hack the Barracuda leader's dead body to pieces. It was the first time since they had met that Link had seen Darko lose his cool. After slashing the Barracuda's corpse to pieces, he Darko turned to Link and said, "Quick, use your Fire Whip to save him, like you did for me."

"Alright, I'll try," Link replied. Just like before, he pulled out his Fire Whip and wrapped it around King Zora's frozen body. However, the spell was so strong that the flames did nothing. "I'm sorry," Link said sadly as he put the Fire Whip away. "There's nothing I can do for him."

Darko marched up to Link and said, "So that's it? I'm just supposed to give up and do nothing? He's my king. I would give my life for him, if it came to that. I will stop at nothing to restore him."

All of a sudden, Link got an idea. "Well, back in Hyrule, when Zora's Domain was frozen over, the ice melted after I defeated the monster in the local temple. Maybe, once I get through the Ocean Ruins, the spell will be broken."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Darko replied in a calmer manner. "Let's go to the Ocean Ruins."

After securing all the prisoners, the Zoras gave Link a Blue Tunic and Iron Boots to help him get to the Ocean Ruins, located at the bottom of the sea. Darko led Link out into the ocean and under the water. They walked on for a while, further and further out to sea, while Link admired the beautiful scenery of the reefs. Finally, Link spotted a large cavern up ahead.

"There's the ruins," Darko said, his voice muffled by being under water. "I'll be waiting for you when you are finished. Good Luck."

Link took one look back at the underwater world all around him, then descended into the Ocean Ruins.

Be sure to check out my map of Zora Isle on my website, 


	8. The Final Piece

Alternate Reality—VIII—The Final Piece

DragonKnight19

Link entered the Ocean Ruins, expecting to find something similar to the Water Temple back in Hyrule. However, he was surprised to find almost no water at all in the Ocean Ruins. Since it was under the ocean, this struck him as very odd. Link proceeded cautiously, constantly on the lookout for any signs of danger.

Thoughts of Trinity and what might be happening to her urged Link on faster and faster. He ran down the hall, slaying any monster that dared oppose him. His only thought was to get through the Ocean Ruins as fast as he could so he could finally save Trinity. He was so focused on rushing through the Ruins that he didn't even notice the ever-increasing sound of running water.

Suddenly, up ahead Link saw the door to the Master's Lair approaching. He broke into a full-out run, ready for whatever was waiting for him on the other side. But he never got there. Just then Link finally noticed the sound of rushing water, but before his brain could register that, the floor disappeared and was replaced with a rushing underground river. Link got caught in the current and the river carried him closer and closer to the Master's Lair. But then the door started to get higher and higher over Link's head, and he realized, much to his horror, that he was going over a waterfall. The current was too strong for Link to do anything other than go over the edge, and plunge headlong into the dark abyss.

Link woke up to find himself on the shore of a vast underground lake. He could still hear the waterfall, but it was very faint. The cavern he was in must have been huge, but it was too dark for Link to see all the way across. He could, however, see halfway across, and saw a small island roughly in the center of the lake. With nothing better to do, Link swam across to the island and started exploring.

The island was little more than a barren rock, and all that Link found was the remains of some poor soul who had gotten trapped down here. Next to the skeleton, etched roughly into the rock, as if by claw, were the words, "my precious." Link didn't know what this meant, but he did notice that the bony hands were clutched around something. He pried the dead, brittle fingers apart and found a simple golden ring.

"Hey, Meego, do you know what this is?" he asked the little fairy. She had faithfully followed Link down the waterfall, not wanting to be left behind. Since the start of their journey, Meego had gotten a lot braver, even helping out without being asked, on occasion.

"Let me see," she replied, and landed on Link's outstretched hand. The ring was as big as a belt to the little fairy, but she picked it up and analyzed it nonetheless. "This is a magic ring," she told Link. "It will make you invisible for short periods of time, but it doesn't last for very long. "

"Thanks Meego," Link said as he pocketed the ring. "I have a feeling this will come in handy later."

After swimming back to shore, Link discovered a cavernous opening in the wall of the cave. With no other options available, he proceeded through the opening and found himself in a tunnel. Side tunnels branched off to the left and right. Link took the one on the left first.

A rusty gate clanged shut behind him as he entered the room. Four Blue Tektites blocked the door to the next room. Link easily defeated the overgrown spiders and went on to the next room. This room was mostly taken up by a large pool of water, where too Octoroks were swimming around lazily. When they saw Link, they immediately attacked. Link quickly brought up his shield to defend himself. He then pulled out his Bow to counterattack. He lowered his shield and quickly shot an arrow at each Octorok. They both let out a cry as the arrows pierced their flesh. They disappeared, allowing Link to move on to the next room.

If he had been running just a little bit faster, Link would have toppled right over the edge of a deep ravine. The floor ended almost immediately beyond the door, and Link teetered on the edge for a moment before he regained his balance and backed up a few steps. The impassable obstacle was quite daunting, but Link refused to give up, and started looking for a way across. Soon he noticed that there was a metal bar hanging from the ceiling roughly a third of the way across the ravine. He pulled out his Whip and let it fly, catching it on the bar. He jumped off the edge and swung across. As he neared the bottom of his swing, he saw the other edge, but it was out of reach. He wasn't going to make it.

Before dismay could set in, Link spotted a Hookshot target on the ceiling above the ledge on the other side. If he timed it just right, he could reach it at the top of his swing. He pulled out his Longshot and just as he reached the top of his swing, shot the Longshot, which caught on the target. The spring-loaded chain retracted, pulling Link to the safety of the other side.

Link fell to the ground, shaking with fear and exhilaration. That had been the most dangerous thing he had ever done, even more dangerous than venturing into active volcanoes. However, it had also been the most thrilling. While the sensible part of him was glad it was over, there was a small voice in his head which hoped that there were other hardcore obstacles to overcome.

With that stunt behind him, Link got up and proceeded on his way. After that, the next few rooms were a breeze. Slaying monsters paled in comparison to swinging across a bottomless ravine while not knowing what lay on the other side, if anything. At the end of a short series of boring rooms was a treasure chest containing a small key. His forward progress halted, Link turned around and headed back towards the main hallway. He got as far as the ravine before he realized that it wasn't going to be so easy this time. The bar he had used to swing across was now out of reach.

Link immediately started looking around for a different way across. The ancient civilization which had built these Ruins always made them passable. They never made dead ends without a way out. There was always a way out. And soon enough, Link found it.

In his search for an alternate route, Link ventured too close to the edge, lost his footing, and fell off. He managed to grab the ledge as he fell, and pulled himself back up. But when he did, he noticed that descending down the cliff, all the way down into darkness, were a series of handholds. He could climb down to a lower level. Once again realizing that every moment he wasted was another that Trinity spent in captivity, or worse, Link wasted no time in deciding to press on. He started climbing down the side of the cliff into the dark deep depths below. It wasn't long before there was no light at all. Still, Link continued downward, slower and more cautiously now, proceeding by touch alone.

Eventually, his persistence was rewarded as light slowly returned, and he could see once again. The sight that greeted him when he finally reached the bottom was one straight out of a dream. This far into he depths of the earth and sea, Link hadn't expected to find any light at all. But down here, an ambient glow threw eerie shadows across the cavern. It was a pale glow, which seemed not to emanate from any single source, but from everywhere at once.

Link had heard stories from the bravest Zora explorers, who had dived to depths so great that no light penetrated the watery twilight. In this part of the ocean which had never seen the light of day, the brave Zora explorers had seen the most bizarre creatures the sea had ever spawned; fish with long, skinny spikes jutting out everywhere, fish with angler's rods attached to their heads, and even fish which produced their own light. Now the eerie glow all around him reminded Link of those fish who produced their own light. It was the same kind of glow: creepy and unnatural, not wholesome like sunlight, but suggestive of Death, as if the light itself would steal your soul. Link wasted no time exploring the cavern for an exit, his footsteps echoing loudly in the complete silence, but unfortunately, he found no way out. He had climbed all the way down here, to the bottom of this dark ravine, for nothing.

He started climbing back up, but before both feet had left the ground, a voice cut through the silent gloom. "Leaving so soon, boy?" a slimy voice sneered from behind Link. He turned around and saw a figure standing in the center of the chamber, even though he had just searched the entire cavern and found nothing. The creature standing before him had obviously been a Zora at one point in its pitiful life, but torture, surgery, dark magic and goddesses-knows-what-else had transformed it into a monstrous shadow of its former self. Now it was more of a monster than anything else, and despite the pity he felt for the poor creature's fate, Link also felt a deep disgust bubbling up inside him.

"Its so nice to see another living being," the creature hissed. "Its been so long since I last had visitors, and they didn't stay very long." It smiled and licked its fishy lips.

_This must be the Ocean Guardian, _Link thought. _I'll have to defeat him before I can continue on. _Suddenly, Link remembered the dying words of Butch, the Mountain Guardian: _You may have won this time, but the Ocean Guardian will avenge me! _"The Mountain Guardian says 'Hi,'" Link told the creature. "He also says 'Good luck, you'll need it.' and he hoped that you would at least last longer than he did."

"You defeated Butch?" he Ocean Guardian asked, apparently shocked. "He was probably overconfident, and underestimated you. He always was too full of himself." The creature suddenly laughed, and the concept of a laughing fish, even a laughing fish monster, struck Link as pretty funny, and he started laughing too. After a second or two, Link stopped laughing and said, "The Forest Guardian was no match either. I wanted to make it a complete set, so I decided to pay you a visit."

The creature laughed again, and replied, "Butch and Machete Man may not have been worthy opponents for you, but you'll find that I, Vrialeiss the Ocean Guardian, am out of your league."

"Whatever," Link shrugged. "Your nothing more than a deformed Zora. I can take you."

"Silence!" Vrialeiss commanded. "How dare you call me a common Zora? I am superior to those pathetic goldfish in every way!"

_Hmm, another Guardian with a temper, _Link thought. _I can use that to my advantage. _"No, you're not," Link replied. "I know you were once a Zora, and that you're different now, but at least they still have their dignity and honor."

Normally, insulting a Zora's honor would earn you a slit throat. But this remark didn't seem to faze Vrialeiss at all. "I know what you're trying to do," he told Link. "You think you can anger me by insulting my honor, then use my temper against me, like you did to Butch. That won't work. Your insults mean nothing to me. But I grow weary of talking. It is time for you to die. You said that you came here to add me to your collection of Guardians. However, it is YOU who will be joining MY collection." He reached behind his back and revealed a long, blue, crystal rod. He raised it over his head, and the ambient blue glow grew in intensity.

As the light grew brighter, Link could start to make out details around the cavern. Finally, he noticed one detail that made him shudder. The handholds he had used to climb down into the deep ravine were not smooth, round rocks, like he had thought, but were actually _human skulls._ He had descended the cliff on an endless array of death.

"Each of those were warriors who fall at my hands," Vrialeiss gloated. "You will soon be joining them." He leveled the crystal rod straight at Link, with the large sapphire set in the head pointing right at Link's heart. Suddenly, a jet of frigid water shot out of the rod, heading right for Link. He didn't have time to dodge, but he raised his shield, and the jet of cold water struck it with such a force that Link was almost knocked off his feet. As the water struck his shield, it immediately froze, making the shield too cold for Link to hold. He dropped it, and as it fell to the ground, the coating of ice shattered, sending jagged pieces of ice skittering across the floor.

Vrialeiss tried his attack again, but Link was prepared this time. He dodged it and moved closer. His sword flashed forward, and Vrialeiss lost a chunk from his left fin. Instead of making him angry and hasty, the pain only increased Vrialeiss's cold determination. This time he aimed for Link's feet, intending to freeze him to the ground. Link jumped and avoided the blast, but when he landed, it was on a slippery patch of ice, and his feet gave way beneath him, and he fell on his back. Vrialeiss grinned, thinking the battle was over. He attacked again, and this time almost succeeded. However, at the last moment, Link whipped out his Longshot and pulled himself to safety.

Link pulled out his Whip and fired it up. Its magical flames would be useful against Vrialeiss's ice attacks. He flicked it forward and caught his opponent by the ankle. He yanked, and tripped the Ocean Guardian, sending him sprawling on his scaly back. Link then dashed forward, intending to finish him off. But Vrialeiss parried Link's attack and countered with the Rod. At the same time, Link attacked with the Fire Whip. The Two weapons collided, canceling out each other's attacks, and sending up a huge cloud of steam.

The billowing cloud of steam obscured the entire cavern. Link couldn't see anything, but at least that meant that neither could Vrialeiss. Link heard him use the Rod again, and Link ducked in case his enemy had gotten lucky and picked the right direction. However, Link heard it strike the wall a few feet to his left, and from that he made an educated guess of Vrialeiss's location. He used the Fire Whip again, and lashed out in the direction he thought Vrialeiss was in. Fortunately, he was right. The Whip wrapped around something, and Link tugged, thinking it was an arm or a leg. However, whatever it was broke free, and Vrialeiss let out a surprised "Hey!" as whatever it was sailed back towards Link. He caught it in his other hand and looked down to see that he had stolen the Ice Rod.

Now Link knew the battle was over. Until now, Vrialeiss had had the upper hand, but with the loss of his Ice Rod, he was now unarmed. Link pointed the Ice Rod at its former owner, and shot a jet of water at him. Vrialeiss let out a scream as the ice spread, covering his whole body. When the steam finally cleared, the Ocean Guardian was no more than a frozen statue, a look of pure terror and hatred eternally frozen on his face.

Link put away his weapons, both old and new, and started looking for a way back. Climbing back up the cliff wouldn't help, because he would still be on the wrong side of the ravine, and besides, he didn't want to touch those skulls again unless he absolutely had to. All of a sudden, he noticed something he hadn't noticed before. Across the cavern, on the opposite side from the cliff of skulls, was a geyser. A switch next to it activated and deactivated the water flow. Link used the Ice Rod to freeze the water in the geyser, then stood on top of the ice and hit the switch.

"Uh, Link, what are you doing?" Meego asked. She had been hiding in Link's hood during the battle, and came out when it was over. Now she was looking at Link, hoping he wasn't planning on doing what she thought he was planning on doing.

"I'm going to ride this geyser all the way up," he replied with a grin. "it's the only way back."

Meego frowned and replied, "Well, I still don't think-" but got cut off just then when the geyser erupted. The iceberg Link was standing in rocketed into the air, leaving poor Meego to catch up as fast as he could. The cold air whipping past Link's face was nothing compared to the cold ice at his feet, but the thrill of such a dangerous stunt blinded him to any discomfort. Within seconds he had reached the top, and he jumped off the iceberg and landed on the ledge at the side of the abyss, on the side he wanted to be on, opposite from the cliff.

Meego caught up a minute later, panting heavily. "Are you crazy?" she demanded once she had got her breath back. "You could have been killed!"

Link just laughed and replied, "In my profession, I could be killed every day. I doesn't stop me from doing what I do. Excitement is defines your life. The more excitement, the better the life."

"Well, I guess so…" Meego admitted timidly.

"That's the spirit!" Link replied cheerfully. "Now let's finish these wet, gloomy Ruins and get on our way."

They made it all the way to the large, underground lake, and there their progress halted. They could go no further. Link searched around the room and eventually found a step switch. He stepped on it, and a strong breeze started blowing out of nowhere. The wind parted the lake, creating a dry path to the island in the center. Unfortunately, the parting was on the opposite side of the lake, and by the time Link made it around to the other side, the wind had died, and the water rushed back into place, blocking the path.

"Hey Link," Meego said, "that's just water, and water freezes easily. What if, while you were running over here, you used your Ice Rod to freeze the water in place? That way, the path will stay open, as long as the ice doesn't melt."

"Good idea, Meego!" Link replied. He pulled out the Ice Rod and tried it again. This time, as he ran for the path, he used the Ice Rod, and froze the water. The path was still there when he got to it, and he hurried across before it melted. The ground sloped down, and Link saw a door in the edge of the island, normally buried underwater. He used his last key to open it and rushed through as the ice finally gave way.

Link and Meego found themselves in a small room with no other doors and a large hole in the floor. "Well, looks like the only way to go is down," Link shrugged, and jumped into the hole, while Meego bravely followed. He fell for a few seconds before splashing down into water and complete darkness. He could hear something moving in the water, and it sounded big. He remembered how the Ocean Guardian had used the Ice Rod to increase the light in his chamber, so Link decided to try the same thing. Fortunately, it worked, but unfortunately, he didn't like what he saw. A giant sea serpent was circling him, like sharks do right before they attack. This serpent was at least thirty yards long, and its mouth was large enough to swallow Link whole. Link used the Ice Rod to create an iceberg, then climbed aboard for safety. As it swam by, Link looked the serpent right in the eye. To his complete and utter amazement, right there in the center of the beast's eye was the final Shard of the Master Sword. The end of his quest was finally in sight. Literally. Soon he could reforge the Master Sword, use it to enter the Dark Realm, save Trinity, and defeat the Evil King.

Suddenly a shocking jolt brought Link back to reality. The Serpent had rammed Link's little iceberg, and was preparing for another attack. Link quickly pulled out his Bow and shot it right between the eyes. The creature bellowed in lain and dove beneath the surface. Link strung another arrow and waited for it to surface. It finally did, but did so directly below Link. He was tossed into the air amid a spray of water and ice. Acting quickly, he used the Ice Rod to freeze the water and ice around him into a sort of slide, which took him away from the serpent's waiting, open jaws.

Link created another iceberg, climbed on it, and then quickly redrew his Bow and shot the beast again. This time, before it could dive, Link caught it with his Whip, and used it like a leash to keep the monster from diving. Since it couldn't escape vertically, the serpent decided to try escaping horizontally. With amazing speed, it took off into the darkness, dragging Link behind it.

Link gripped the iceberg with his feet as best he could, and held on frantically while the creature rushed on down the subterranean tunnel, with Link skiing along behind. Once he had gotten the hang of his situation, Link started pulling in the Whip, bit by bit, drawing himself closer to the monster. He was eventually able to climb on top of it, and while the creature continued its onward swim, Link quickly set his plan into motion. First he used the Ice Rod to create several icebergs, which the serpent just plowed right through. However, as it struck each one head first, they did some damage to the creature, slowing it down a little bit each time.

After it had slowed down sufficiently, Link decided to try the sword. He put away all the other weapons and drew the Hero's Sword. He plunged it into the serpent's head straight to the hilt. He had hoped that the icebergs had done enough damage that this would finally kill it, but it seemed to have the opposite effect. The great pain enraged the beast, and it picked up speed, and started swerving erratically trying to toss Link. But he held on tight, the sword buried in the serpent's flesh acting as an anchor, allowing Link to hold on.

Link didn't try anything for a few minutes, using all his energy just to hang on. Eventually, the serpent started slowing down again, and Link put his next plan of attack into motion. He aimed the Ice Rod at the ceiling of the tunnel about thirty yards ahead, and created a huge icicle there. Then, as the serpent passed under it, he used the Fire Whip to melt the base of the icicle, dislodging it and making it fall. The sharp, jagged edge sliced right through the beast's head like a nail driven into wood. It let out one final scream, then with a great shudder, it died.

Link climbed down the dead beast's head to its now-vacant eye. He could still see the Shard of the Master Sword laying inside the eyeball. He sliced it open with his sword and retrieved the final Shard. As he laid his hand on the final piece, a blue light appeared as if from nowhere and washed over Link. It got brighter and brighter, and when Link finally opened his eyes, he was in a forest.


End file.
